HE1MATLOS 


UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA 
AT   LOS  ANGELES 


GIFT  OF 

Elizabeth  Bryan 


FflS?ag5>  §£«»«ggj 

^k^t 

5^ 

^      J 

ti 

••  •.? 

C 


HEIMATLOS 


TWO  STORIES  FOR  CHILDREN,  AND  FOR 
THOSE  WHO  LOVE  CHILDREN 


BY 

JOHANNA  SPYRI 

TRANSLATION  BY 

EMMA  STELTER  HOPKINS 


WITH  ILLUSTRATIONS  BY 

FREDERICK  RICHARDSON 


GINN  AND  COMPANY 

BOSTON  •  NEW  YORK  •  CHICAGO  •  LONDON 


COPYRIGHT,  1912,  BY  EMMA  S.  HOPKINS 

ALL  RIGHTS   RESERVED 

912.8 


gfte  fltfttnatnm    JJrrss 


PZ.33 

STTkE 


PREFACE 

In  the  translation  of  "  Heimatlos  "  an  effort  has 
been  made  to  hold  as  far  as  possible  to  the  original, 
in  order  to  give  the  reader  of  English  the  closest 
possible  touch  with  the  story  as  it  stands  in  the 
•  German.  This  method  retains  the  author's  delightful 
simplicity,  and  it  leaves  revealed,  even  in  her  round- 
about way  of  telling  things,  her  charming  adapta- 
bility as  a  writer  for  children. 

The  adult  reader  will  pardon  the  repetitions,  where 
4     the  same  thought  is  expressed   in  different  ways, 
when  it  is  remembered  that  the  author  is  making 
>    doubly  sure  of  reaching  the  understanding  of  the 
.  young  mind.    The  literal  rendering  has  been  sacri- 
ficed  only  in  a  few  instances,  and  then  because  of 

idioms  and  national  standards. 
It  is  the  hope  of  the  translator  that  these  two 
stories,  so  widely  read  by  the  children  of  Germany, 
help  our  own  little  ones,  in  these  days  of  gen- 
l  prosperity,  to  appreciate  the  everyday  comforts 
home,  to  which  they  grow  so  accustomed  as  often 
to  take  them  for  granted,  with  little  evidence  of 
gratitude. 

E.  S.  H. 
iii 

322947 


CONTENTS 

LAKE  SILS  AND  LAKE  GARDA 

CHAPTER  PAGE 

I.   THE  QUIET  HOME i 

II.    IN  SCHOOL 5 

III.  THE  SCHOOLMASTER'S  VIOLIN 10 

IV.  THE  DISTANT  LAKE  WITHOUT  A  NAME      .  17 
V.   THE  LAKE  HAS  A  NAME 22 

VI.   Rico's  MOTHER 25 

VII.    A    PRECIOUS    LEGACY    AND    A     PRECIOUS 

PRAYER 28 

VIII.    AT  LAKE  SILS 33 

IX.   A  PUZZLING  OCCURRENCE 39 

X.   A  LITTLE  LIGHT 43 

XI.   A  LONG  JOURNEY     .     . 45 

XII.   THE  JOURNEY  CONTINUED 54 

XIII.  LAKE  GARDA 60 

XIV.  NEW  FRIENDS 67 

XV.    AN  EMPHATIC  APPEAL 82 

XVI.   THE  ADVICE 86 

XVII.    OVER  THE  MOUNTAINS 94 

XVIII.   Two  HAPPY  TRAVELERS 103 

XIX.   CLOUDS  AT  LAKE  GARDA     .     .     .     .     .     .  1 1 1 

XX.   AT  HOME 117 

XXI.    SUNSHINE  AT  LAKE  GARDA 127 


CONTENTS 


WISELI   FINDS  HER  PLACE 

CHAPTER  PAGE 

I.   COASTING 133 

II.   THE  HOME  ON  THE  HILL 138 

III.  ANOTHER  HOME 155 

IV.  THE  GOTTI  HOME 163 

V.    How  LIFE  CONTINUES  AND  SUMMER  COMES   .  174 

VI.   A  NEW  FEATURE 192 

VII.  BRIGHTER  DAYS  FOR  THE  PATIENT  AND  FOR 

SOME  ONE  ELSE 205 

VIII.  THE  UNEXPECTED  HAPPENS 216 

PRONOUNCING  VOCABULARY 231 


HEIMATLOS 

LAKE  SILS  AND  LAKE  GARDA 


CHAPTER  I 

THE  QUIET  HOME 

In  the  Upper  Engadine  Valley,  on  the  road  lead- 
ing up  to  the  Maloja  Pass,  lies  a  lonely  town  called 
Sils.  Taking  a  diagonal  path  from  the  street  back  to 
the  mountains,  one  comes  to  a  smaller  village  known 
as  Sils-Maria.  Here,  a  little  aside  from  the  highway, 
in  a  field,  two  dwellings  stood  opposite  each  other. 
Both  had  old-fashioned  doors  and  tiny  windows  set 
deep  in  the  wall.  One  house  had  a  garden,  where 
herbs  and  vegetables  and  a  few  straggling  flowers 
were  growing.  The  other,  which  was  much  smaller, 
had  only  an  old  stable  with  a  couple  of  chickens 
wandering  in  and  out  of  it. 

At  the  same  hour  every  morning  there  came  out 
of  this  forlorn  little  house  a  man  who  was  so  tall  that 
he  had  to  stoop  in  order  to  pass  through  the  doorway. 
His  hair  and  eyes  were  very  dark,  and  the  lower  part 


LAKE  SILS  AND  LAKE  GARDA 


of  his  face  was  hidden  by  a  heavy  black  beard.  Fa- 
miliar as  this  man's  figure  was  to  the  people  of  Sils, 
they  always  spoke  of  him  as  "  the  Italian."  His  work 
took  him  regularly  up  the  Maloja,  where  the  roads 
were  being  improved,  or  down  the  Pass  to  St.  Moritz 
Bath,  where  some  new  houses  were  going  up. 

Each  morning  a  boy  followed  the  man  to  the  door 
and  stood  looking  wistfully  after  him.  It  would  have 
been  hard  to  say  just  what  those  great  dark  eyes  were 
fixed  upon,  their  gaze  seemed  so  far  reaching. 

Sunday  afternoons,  when  the  weather  was  favor- 
able, the  father  and  son  would  go  for  a  walk  together. 
So  striking  was  the  likeness  between  them  that  no 
one  could  help  noticing  it,  although  in  the  bearded 
face  of  the  man  the  sadness  was  less  apparent.  They 
seldom  spoke,  but  sometimes  the  man  would  hum  or 
whistle  a  tune,  and  then  the  boy  would  listen  eagerly. 
It  was  easy  to  see  that  music  was  their  chief  pleasure. 
When  they  were  kept  in  the  house  by  bad  weather, 
the  father  would  play  familiar  airs  on  a  mouth  organ 
or  on  a  whistle  that  he  had  made  himself  —  perhaps 
on  a  comb  or  even  on  a  leaf  from  a  tree.  Once 
he  brought  home  a  violin,  which  delighted  the  boy 
beyond  measure.  He  watched  the  father  intently 
as  he  played,  and  later  tried  to  bring  out  the  same 
notes  himself.  He  must  have  succeeded  fairly  well, 
for  the  man  laughed,  and  laying  his  own  fingers 


THE  QUIET   HOME 


over  the  little  ones,  played  several   melodies  from 
beginning  to  end. 

The  next  day,  while  the  father  was  away,  the  boy 
practiced  until  he  succeeded  in  playing  his  favorite 
tune,  but  after  that  the  violin  disappeared  and  was 
never  brought  back  again.  Sometimes,  however,  the 
father  would  sing  in  his  deep  voice, — softly,  perhaps, 
at  first,  but  louder  as  he  caught  the  spirit  of  the 
music.  Then  the  boy  would  sing,  too,  and  when  the 
words  failed  him  —  for  the  songs  were  in  Italian, 
which  he  did  not  understand  —  he  could  still  hum 
the  air.  There  was  one  tune  that  he  knew  better  than 
all  the  rest,  for  it  was  one  his  father  had  sung  over 
and  over  again.  It  had  many  verses,  and  this  was 
the  way  it  began  : 

"  Una  sera 
In  Peschiera  — 

Though  the  music  was  sad,  this  song  was  the  boy's 
favorite.  He  would  always  sing  it  with  much  feeling, 
his  clear,  bell-like  voice  blending  smoothly  with  the 
father's  rich  bass.  Often  when  they  had  fini'shed  all 
the  verses,  the  man  would  put  his  hand  on  his  son's 
shoulder  and  say,  "  Good,  Enrico !  that  went  very 
well."  Only  his  father  called  him  "  Enrico  "  ;  to  all 
others  he  was  simply  "  Rico." 

There  was  still  another  person  who  lived  in  the 
little  cottage.  This  was  Rico's  aunt,  who  kept  house 


LAKE  SILS  AND  LAKE  GARDA 


for  the  father  and  himself.  In  the  winter,  when  she 
sat  spinning  beside  the  stove  and  it  was  too  stormy 
to  be  out  of  doors,  Rico  had  to  be  very  careful  of  his 
behavior.  Everything  he  did  seemed  to  annoy  her. 
The  faultfinding  made  the  loneliness  still  harder  to 
bear  when,  as  often  happened,  the  father's  work  kept 
him  away  from  home  for  days  at  a  time. 

Sometimes  when  Rico  tried  to  escape  from  the 
presence  of  his  aunt,  she  would  say  sharply :  "Shut 
the  door  and  sit  down,  Rico.  You  are  forever  letting 
the  cold  air  into  the  house." 

He  was  thankful  that  his  bed  upstairs  offered  a 
safe  retreat  after  supper ;  and  then  he  always  had 
the  pleasant  anticipation  that  his  father  would  prob- 
ably soon  come  home  again. 


CHAPTER  II 

IN  SCHOOL 

Rico  was  nearly  nine  years  old  and  had  attended 
school  two  winters.  There  was  no  school  in  the 
mountains  in  the  summer,  for  every  one,  including 
the  teacher,  was  busy  farming.  Rico  did  not  mind 
this,  however,  for  he  had  his  own  way  of  passing  the 
time.  In  the  morning  he  would  go  out  to  the  door- 
steps where  he  would  remain  watching  the  house 
opposite  until  a  girl  with  laughing  eyes  beckoned 
him  to  come  across.  They  always  had  much  to  say  to 
each  other  of  all  that  had  happened  since  they  were 
together  before.  Her  name  was  Stineli,  and  she  and 
Rico  were  nearly  the  same  age.  They  had  always 
gone  to  school  together,  were  in  the  same  classes, 
and  from  the  first  had  been  the  best  of  friends. 

Rico  extended  his  intimacy  to  no  one  else.  It  was 
little  pleasure  to  him  to  be  with  the  boys  of  the  neigh- 
borhood. When  they  wrestled  in  the  school  yard,  Rico 
either  walked  away  or  paid  no  attention  to  them.  If, 
however,  they  attacked  him,  he  would  face  them  with 
such  a  strange  look  that  they  ceased  troubling  him. 
5 


LAKE  SILS  AND  LAKE  GARDA 


With  Stineli  he  was  perfectly  contented.  She 
had  a  lovely  face  with  merry  light-brown  eyes.  Her 
fluffy  golden  hair  was  gathered  into  two  heavy  braids 
which  hung  loosely  from  her  shoulders.  She  was 
scarcely  nine  years  old,  but  there  were  seven  younger 
brothers  and  sisters.  For  these  she  had  to  do  a  great 
many  things,  so  that  her  time  for  play  was  sadly 
limited.  The  other  children  were  Trudt,  Sam,  Peter, 
Urschli,  Anna,  Kunzli,  and  the  baby.  Calls  for  Stineli 
seemed  to  come  from  every  direction,  and  she  will- 
ingly helped  wherever  she  could.  The  mother  said 
that  Stineli  could  put  on  three  pairs  of  stockings  for 
the  little  ones  while  Trudt,  the  younger  sister,  was 
getting  a  child's  foot  in  place  for  the  first  one. 

Stineli  went  to  school  gladly,  for  there  was  always 
the  pleasant  walk  going  and  returning  with  Rico.  So 
many  duties  fell  to  her  share  during  the  summer  that 
she  had  no  leisure  except  on  Sunday  afternoons. 
Then  she  and  Rico,  who  had  usually  been  waiting  on 
the  doorsteps  opposite,  would  go  hand  in  hand  over 
the  wide  meadow  to  the  wooded  hill  beyond  that 
stretched  far  out  into  the  lake.  There  they  would  sit 
and  look  down  into  the  water  and  watch  the  waves 
beat  against  the  shore.  Here  they  enjoyed  themselves 
so  much  that  Stineli  was  happy  all  the  week  in  look- 
ing forward  to  the  pleasure  of  the  next  Sunday. 

There  was  some  one  else  who  contributed  greatly 


IN  SCHOOL 


to  Stineli's  pleasure.  This  was  her  aged  grandmother, 
who  made  her  home  with  the  family.  She  noticed 
how  much  was  expected  of  Stineli  and  often  gave  her 
bits  of  money  to  brighten  a  hard  day's  work.  She 
was  very  fond  of  Rico  and  occasionally  made  it"  pos- 
sible for  Stineli  to  play  with  him  by  taking  the  house- 
hold duties  upon  herself. 

The  grandmother  frequently  spent  the  summer 
evenings  sitting  in  the  front  yard,  and  Stineli  and 
Rico  liked  to  sit  with  her  and  listen  to  the  stories 
she  told  them.  When  the  vesper  bell  rang  she  would 
say,  "  Remember,  that  is  the  signal  for  our  evening 
worship."  Then  the  three  would  devoutly  repeat  the 
Lord's  Prayer. 

"  Your  evening  devotion  ought  never  to  be  neg- 
lected," the  grandmother  continued  one  evening ; 
"  I  have  fived  many  more  years  than  you  have,  and 
I  have  known  many  people,  but  I  have  observed  that 
there  is  a  time  in  the  life  of  every  one  when  prayer 
is  needful.  I  have  some  in  mind  who  did  not  pray, 
but  when  troubles  came  they  had  nothing  to  comfort 
them.  I  want  you  to  know  that  you  need  not  worry 
so  long  as  you  use  this  prayer." 

It  was  May  and  the  school  was  still  in  session, 
although  it  could  not  be  kept  open  much  longer,  for 
the  trees  were  beginning  to  show  green  tips,  and 
great  stretches  of  ground  were  entirely  free  from 


8  LAKE  SILS  AND  LAKE  GARDA 

snow.  Rico  was  standing  in  the  doorway,  observing 
these  facts  while  waiting  for  Stineli.  Earlier  than 
usual  the  door  across  the  way  opened  and  she  ran 
to  him. 

"  Have  you  been  waiting  long  ?  No  doubt  you  've 
been  building  air  castles  at  the  same  time,"  she  said, 
laughing.  "We  shall  not  be  late  to-day,  even  if  we 
walk  slowly.  Do  you  ever  think  about  that  pretty  lake 
any  more  ?  "  asked  Stineli,  as  they  walked  along. 

11  Indeed  I  do,"  replied  Rico ;  "  I  often  dream  of 
it,  too,  and  I  see  large  red  flowers  near  the  violet- 
colored  hills  I  told  you  about." 

"  But  dreams  don't  count,"  broke  in  Stineli.  "  I 
have  dreamed  that  Peter  climbed  up  the  tallest  tree, 
but  when  he  got  to  the  topmost  branch  I  thought  it 
was  only  a  bird,  and  then  he  called  to  me  to  dress 
him.  That  proves  how  impossible  dreams  may  be." 

"  This  one  of  mine  is  possible,"  asserted  Rico. 
"  It  makes  me  think  of  something  that  I  have  really 
seen,  and  I  know  that  I  have  looked  at  those  flowers 
and  the  hills.  The  picture  is  too  real  to  be  a  dream 
only."  As  they  neared  the  schoolhouse  a  company 
of  children  ran  to  meet  them,  and  they  all  entered 
the  schoolroom  together. 

In  a  few  moments  the  teacher  came.  He  was  an 
old  man  who  had  taught  in  this  room  many  years, 
and  his  hair  had  grown  thin  and  gray  as  the  years 


IN  SCHOOL  9 


passed  by.  This  morning  he  began  the  exercises  with 
a  number  of  questions  on  previous  work,  following 
this  with  the  song,  "  Little  Lambs." 

Rico  was  looking  so  attentively  at  the  teacher's 
fingering  of  the  violin  strings  that  he  forgot  to  sing. 
The  children,  being  accustomed  to  depending  upon 
Rico's  voice,  sang  out  of  tune,  and  the  notes  from  the 
violin  became  more  and  more  uncertain  until  all  was 
in  confusion.  The  song  was  abruptly  ended  by  the 
teacher's  throwing  the  violin  on  the  table  in  disgust. 
"  What  are  you  trying  to  sing,  you  foolish  children  ?  " 
he  exclaimed.  "  If  I  only  knew  who  gets  so  out  of 
tune  and  spoils  the  whole  song !  " 

A  lad  sitting  next  to  Rico  ventured  to  say,  "  I 
know  why  it  went  that  way  ;  it  always  does  when  Rico 
doesn't  sing." 

"  What  is  that  I  hear  about  you,  Rico  ?  "  began 
the  teacher,  sharply.  "  You  are  a  very  obedient  little 
fellow,  but  inattention  is  a  serious  fault,  the  result  of 
which  you  have  just  seen.  Let  us  try  again.  Now, 
Rico,  see  that  you  sing  this  time." 

The  children  joined  heartily,  and  Rico's  voice  sus- 
tained the  song  to  the  end.  Then  the  teacher  gave 
the  violin  a  few  final  strokes  and  laid  it  on  the  table. 
"  A  good  instrument  that !  "  he  said,  and  rubbed  his 
hands  with  evident  satisfaction. 


CHAPTER  III 
THE   SCHOOLMASTER'S  VIOLIN 

After  school  Stineli  and  Rico  found  their  way  out 
of  the  mass  of  children  and  started  for  home. 

"  Were  you  dreaming  about  your  lake  when  you 
forgot  to  sing  this  morning  ?  "  asked  Stineli. 

"  No,  something  quite  different,"  answered  Rico. 
"  I  was  watching  the  teacher,  and  I  am  sure  that  I 
can  play  '  Little  Lambs,'  if  I  only  had  a  violin." 

The  wish  must  have  been  a  heartfelt  one  with 
Rico,  for  he  said  it  with  such  a  deep  sigh  that  Stineli's 
sympathy  was  at  once  aroused  and  she  said :  "  We 
will  buy  one  together.  I  have  ever  so  many  pennies 
that  grandmother  gave  me  —  I  think  twelve  in  all. 
How  many  have  you  ?  " 

"  Not  one,"  said  Rico,  sadly.  "  My  father  gave  me 
some  before  he  went  away,  but  my  aunt  took  them. 
She  said  that  I  would  only  squander  them  anyway. 
I  know  we  can't  get  those." 

"  Maybe  we  have  enough  without  them,"  said 
Stineli,  consolingly.  "  Grandmother  will  give  me  more 
soon,  and  it  can't  be,  Rico,  that  a  violin  costs  much. 


THE  SCHOOLMASTER'S  VIOLIN  II 

You  know  it  is  only  a  piece  of  old  wood  with  four 
strings  drawn  across  it.  That  ought  not  to  cost  a 
great  deal.  Ask  the  teacher  to-morrow  how  much 
one  costs,  and  then  we  will  try  to  get  one." 

So  the  subject  was  left,  but  Stineli  secretly  resolved 
to  get  up  early  to  build  the  fires,  because  grandmother 
would  notice  it  and  give  her  some  more  pennies. 

The  following  day,  after  school,  Stineli  went  out 
without  Rico  and  stood  at  the  corner  of  the  building 
waiting  for  him.  Rico  was  to  ask  the  teacher  concern- 
ing the  violin.  She  waited  so  long  that  she  wondered 
what  could  be  keeping  him,  but  finally  he  appeared. 

"What  did  he  say?  How  much  does  it  cost?" 
inquired  Stineli,  eagerly. 

"  I  did  n't  dare  ask  him,"  said  Rico  in  a  dejected 
tone. 

"  Oh,  what  a  shame  !  "  she  exclaimed  ;  but  noticing 
Rico's  sadness,  she  added,  "  It  does  n't  matter,  Rico  ; 
you  can  ask  him  to-morrow."  Then,  in  her  cheerful 
way,  she  took  his  hand  and  they  walked  home  without 
further  mention  of  the  subject. 

Rico  had  no  better  success,  however,  on  the  second 
day  nor  on  the  third.  He  remained  nearly  half  an 
hour  at  the  teacher's  entrance,  not  finding  the  cour- 
age to  ring  the  bell.  The  fourth  evening  Stineli  said 
to  herself,  "  If  he  doesn't  ask  the  teacher  to-night, 
I  will."  This  time,  however,  as  Rico  was  standing  at 


LAKE  SILS  AND  LAKE  GARDA 


the  door,  the  teacher  came  out  suddenly  and  noticed 
the  boy's  hesitating  attitude. 

"  What  does  this  mean,  Rico  ?  "  he  asked,  stand- 
ing surprised  and  perplexed  before  him.  "  Why  do 
you  come  to  a  person's  door  without  rapping?  If  you 
have  no  business  here,  why  don't  you  go  home  ?  If 
you  wish  to  tell  me  something,  you  may  do  so  now." 

"  What  does  a  violin  cost  ?  "  asked  Rico,  timidly. 

The  teacher's  surprise  and  mistrust  increased. 

"  Rico,"  he  said  severely,  "  what  am  I  to  think  of 
you  ?  Have  you  come  purposely  to  ask  useless  ques- 
tions, or  what  is  your  idea  ?  Will  you  tell  me  what 
object  you  have  in  asking  me  what  you  did  ?  " 

"  I  only  wish  to  find  out  what  a  violin  costs,"  said 
Rico,  still  trembling  at  his  own  boldness. 

"  You  do  not  understand,  Rico  ;  now  listen  to  what 
I  say.  One  asks  something  for  a  reason,  otherwise 
it  would  be  a  useless  question.  Now  answer  me  truth- 
fully, Rico,  did  you  ask  me  this  out  of  curiosity,  or 
did  some  one  who  wishes  to  buy  a  violin  send  you  ?  " 

"  I  should  like  to  buy  one,"  said  Rico,  a  little  more 
bravely. 

"  What  did  you  say  ?  "  broke  out  the  teacher,  im- 
patiently. "Such  a  senseless  boy  —  and  an  Italian 
besides  —  to  wish  to  buy  a  violin  !  You  scarcely  know 
what  a  violin  is.  Can  you  imagine  how  old  I  was  be- 
fore I  was  able  to  buy  one  ?  I  was  twenty-two  years 


THE  SCHOOLMASTER'S  VIOLIN  13 

old  and  ready  to  enter  my  life  work  as  teacher.  What 
a  child,  to  think  of  buying  a  violin !  Now,  to  show 
you  how  foolish  you  are,  I  will  tell  you  the  price  of 
one.  Six  solid  dollars  is  what  I  paid  for  mine.  Can 
you  grasp  an  idea  of  the  amount  ?  We  will  put  it  into 
pennies.  If  one  dollar  contains  one  hundred  pennies, 
then  six  dollars  would  contain  six  times  one  hun- 
dred, which  is  —  Now,  Rico,  you  are  not  dull  at  your 
studies  ;  six  times  one  hundred  is  — 

"  Six  hundred  pennies,"  supplemented  Rico,  softly, 
for  his  voice  nearly  failed  him  as  he  compared  Stineli's 
twelve  pennies  with  this  large  sum. 

"But  further,  Rico,"  continued  the  teacher,  "do 
you  suppose  that  one  need  only  to  buy  a  violin  in 
order  to  play  it  ?  One  has  to  do  much  more  than  that. 
Just  step  in  and  let  me  show  you." 

The  teacher  opened  the  door  as  he  spoke  and  took 
down  the  violin  from  its  place  on  the  wall. 

"  There,  take  it  on  your  arm  and  hold  the  bow  in 
your  hand ;  so,  my  boy.  Now,  if  you  can  sound  C, 
D,  E,  F,  I  will  give  you  a  half  dollar  right  away." 

Rico  actually  had  the  violin  on  his  arm  !  His  face 
flushed,  as  with  sparkling  eyes  he  played  firmly  and 
correctly,  C,  D,  E,  F. 

"You  little  rascal ! "  exclaimed  the  teacher.  "Where 
did  you  learn  that  ?  Who  taught  you  so  that  you  can 
find  the  notes  ?  " 


14  LAKE  SILS  AND  LAKE  GARDA 

"  I  know  something  else  too,  if  I  might  play  it," 
Rico  ventured  to  say. 

"  Play  it,"  directed  the  teacher. 

Rico  played  the  melody  of  the  song,  "  Little 
Lambs,"  with  the  greatest  confidence,  his  eyes  speak- 
ing his  pleasure. 

The  teacher  had  taken  a  chair  and  put  on  his  spec- 
tacles. He  had  looked  attentively  at  Rico's  fingers, 
moving  with  easy  grace,  then  at  his  joyous  counte- 
nance, and  again  at  his  fingers.  The  boy  had  played 
correctly. 

"  Come  to  me,  Rico,"  said  the  teacher,  as  he  moved 
his  chair  to  the  window  and  put  Rico  directly  in  front 
of  him  ;  "I  want  to  talk  a  little  with  you.  You  see, 
your  father  is  an  Italian,  Rico,  and  they  do  all  sorts 
of  things  down  there,  they  say,  that  we  know  nothing 
of  up  here  in  the  hills.  Now  look  me  in  the  eyes  and 
tell  me  the  truth.  How  is  it  that  you  are  able  to  play 
this  tune  correctly  on  my  violin?  " 

Rico  looked  steadily  at  the  teacher  and  said 
frankly,  "  I  learned  it  from  you  in  school,  where  we 
sing  it  so  often." 

The  teacher  got  up  and  paced  the  floor.  This  put 
the  matter  in  an  entirely  different  light.  So  he  was 
himself  the  cause  of  this  wonderful  intelligence !  All 
his  suspicions  vanished,  and  he  good-naturedly  took 
out  his  pocketbook. 


THE  SCHOOLMASTER'S  VIOLIN  15 

"  There  is  the  half  dollar,  Rico  ;  it  belongs  to  you. 
You  had  better  go  now,  but  keep  on  being  atten- 
tive to  the  violin  playing.  It  may  be  that  you  can 
make  it  amount  to  something,  so  that  in  twelve 
or  fourteen  years  you  can  buy  a  violin  for  yourself. 
Good  night." 

Rico  had  looked  longingly  at  the  violin  when  he 
realized  that  he  must  go,  and  he  now  laid  it  very  ten- 
derly on  the  table.  He  was  pondering  the  last  words  of 
the  teacher,  when  Stineli  came  running  to  meet  him. 

"  How  long  it  did  take  you !  "  she  exclaimed.  "  Did 
you  ask  him  ?  " 

"  Yes,  but  it  is  all  of  no  use,"  said  Rico  with  frown- 
ing brow.  "  A  violin  costs  six  hundred  pennies,  and 
in  fourteen  years,  when  everybody  will  probably  be 
dead,  he  thought  I  could  perhaps  buy  one.  Who 
wants  to  live  fourteen  years  from  now  ?  There,  you 
may  take  that ;  I  don't  want  it,"  and  he  put  the  half 
dollar  into  Stineli's  hand. 

"  Six  hundred  pennies !  "  repeated  Stineli  in 
amazement.  "  And  how  did  you  get  this  money  ?  " 

Rico  told  Stineli  what  had  passed  between  him  and 
the  teacher,  and  again  said,  "  It  is' of  no  use." 

Stineli  urged  Rico  to  keep  the  money,  but  he  would 
not  take  it  again. 

"  Then  I  will  keep  it  and  put  it  away  with  the 
pennies,  and  it  shall  belong  to  us  both,"  she  said. 


1 6  LAKE  SILS  AND  LAKE  GARDA 

Even  Stineli  felt  discouraged,  but  happier  thoughts 
came  to  her  as  they  turned  the  corner  to  enter  the  field 
and  she  saw  the  indications  of  spring  on  every  hand. 

"  See,  Rico,  it  will  be  summer  in  a  short  time,  and 
we  can  go  to  the  woods  once  more.  Let  us  go  this 
Sunday  so  that  you  will  be  happy  again." 

"  I  shall  never  be  happy  again,  Stineli,  but  if  you 
would  like  to  go,  I  will  go  with  you." 

They  arranged  their  plans  so  that  they  could  go  the 
following  Sunday.  It  was  not  an  easy  task  for  Stineli 
to  get  away,  for  Peter,  Sam,  and  Urschli  had  the 
measles,  and  a  goat  was  sick  at  the  stable.  She  was 
kept  busy  from  the  time  she  returned  from  school 
until  late  at  night.  Saturday  she  worked  all  day  and 
much  later  than  usual,  but  did  it  so  willingly  and  was 
so  cheerful  that  her  father  said  :  "Stineli  is  a  perfect 
treasure.  She  makes  us  all  happy." 


CHAPTER  IV 
THE  DISTANT  LAKE  WITHOUT  A  NAME 

When  Stineli  awoke  the  following  morning,  she 
instantly  realized  that  it  was  Sunday.  The  grand- 
mother's words  of  the  previous  evening  were  still 
fresh  in  her  memory,  "  You  deserve  the  whole  after- 
noon to-morrow,  and  you  shall  have  it." 

After  dinner,  when  Stineli  had  finished  all  the  nec- 
essary duties  and  was  prepared  to  join  Rico,  Peter 
called  from  his  bed,  "  Stineli,  come,  stay  with  me!" 

The  two  others  who  were  ill  shouted,  "  No,  no, 
Stineli,  we  want  you  !  " 

The  father  said,  "  I  should  like  to  have  you  go  to 
the  barn  and  take  a  look  at  the  goat  first." 

"  Hush,  everybody !  "  broke  in  the  grandmother. 
"  Stineli  shall  go  in  peace.  I  will  look  after  these 
things  myself.  Remember,  dear,  that  when  the  ves- 
per bell  rings,  you  are  to  come  home  like  good 
children."  The  grandmother  knew  that  there  would 
be  two  of  them. 

Stineli  flew  away  like  a  bird  for  whom  the  door  of 
its  cage  had  been  opened,  and  went  directly  to  Rico, 
17 


1 8  LAKE  SILS  AND  LAKE  GARDA 

who  was  waiting  as  usual.  The  sun  was  shining 
pleasantly,  and  the  heaven  was  an  unbroken  blue  above 
them  as  they  crossed  the  meadow  to  reach  the  hill 
beyond.  They  still  found  patches  of  snow  in  the 
shaded  places,  until  they  got  up  where  the  whole  sur- 
face had  been  exposed  to  the  sun ;  from  here  they 
could  see  the  waves  beating  steadily  against  the  rocks 
on  the  shore.  They  searched  for  a  dry  place  on  a 
cliff  directly  over  the  water,  and  here  they  sat  down. 
The  wind  was  blowing  a  sharp  gale  at  this  height ;  it 
whistled  in  their  ears  and  swayed  the  woods  above 
them  like  a  living  mass  of  green. 

"  Oh,  see,  Rico,  how  beautiful  it  is  here !  "  exclaimed 
Stineli  as  she  looked  about.  "  I  am  so  glad  that  spring 
has  come  again.  See  how  the  water  sparkles  in  the 
sunlight.  There  really  cannot  be  a  prettier  lake  than 
this  one." 

"  I  should  say  there  is  !  "  exclaimed  Rico.  "  You 
ought  to  see  the  one  I  mean  !  No  such  black  fir  trees 
with  needles  grow  by  my  lake.  We  have  shining  green 
leaves  and  large  red  flowers  there.  The  hills  are  not 
so  high  and  black,  nor  so  near,  but  show  their  violet 
colors  from  a  distance.  The  sky  and  water  are  all  a 
golden  glow,  and  there  is  such  a  warm,  fragrant  air 
that  one  can  always  sit  on  the  shore  without  being 
cold.  The  wind  never  blows  like  this,  and  there  is  no 
snow  to  cover  one's  shoes  as  ours  are  covered  now." 


THE  DISTANT  LAKE  WITHOUT  A  NAME    19 

This  description  convinced  Stineli  that  Rico  was 
not  speaking  of  a  place  that  he  had  simply  dreamed 
about,  so  she  said  half  sadly :  "  Perhaps  you  can  go 
there  sometime  and  see  it  again.  Do  you  know  the 
way  ? " 

"  No,"  answered  Rico,  "but  I  know  that  you  have 
to  go  up  the  Maloja.  I  have  been  as  far  as  that  with 
my  father,  and  he  showed  me  the  road  that  leads  ever 
and  ever  so  far  down  toward  the  lake.  It  is  such  a 
long  way  that  you  could  hardly  get  there." 

"  It  would  be  easy  enough,"  remarked  Stineli. 
"All  you  have  to  do  is  just  to  keep  right  on  going 
farther  and  farther  and  at  last  you  must  get  there." 

"  Yes,"  said  Rico,  "  but  father  told  me  something 
else  too.  You  have  to  go  to  hotels  to  eat  and  to  sleep 
on  the  way,  and  it  takes  money  for  that." 

"  But  think  of  the  money  we  own  together  !  "  cried 
Stineli. 

Rico  frowned  and  said  :  "  That  does  n't  amount  to 
anything.  I  found  that  out  when  I  wanted  to  buy  a 
violin." 

"  Then  you  had  better  stay  at  home  and  not  go, 
Rico.  It  is  always  nice  to  be  at  home." 

Rico  sat  lost  in  thought,  his  head  resting  on  his 
arm.  Stineli  was  busy  gathering  some  moss  and  shap- 
ing it  into  pillows,  which  she  intended  to  take  to  the 
sick  ones  when  she  and  Rico  went  home.  She  thought 


20  LAKE  SILS  AND  LAKE  GARDA 

nothing  of  Rico's  silence  until  he  said  :  "  You  say 
that  I  can  stay  at  home,  but  it  seems  to  me  exactly 
as  if  that  were  something  I  did  not  have.  I  am  sure 
I  don't  know  where  it  is." 

"  O  Rico,  what  are  you  saying !  "  cried  the  aston- 
ished Stineli,  letting  the  moss  fall  unheeded  in  her 
lap.  "  You  are  at  home  here,  of  course.  You  are 
always  at  home  where  your  father  and  mother  — 
Here  she  stopped  abruptly  as  she  remembered  that 
Rico  had  no  mother  and  that  his  father  had  not  been 
at  home  for  ever  so  long,  and  she  shuddered  as  she 
thought  of  his  aunt,  of  whom  she  had  always  been 
afraid.  She  scarcely  knew  how  to  continue,  yet  it 
grieved  her  to  see  Rico  so  sadly  silent.  She  impul- 
sively took  his  hand  and  said,  "  I  should  like  to  know 
the  name  of  the  lake  where  it  is  so  beautiful." 

Rico  meditated  a  moment.  "  I  don't  know  it, 
Stineli.  I  wonder  what  it  can  be  and  why  I  can't 
remember  it !  " 

"  Let  us  try  to  find  out,"  suggested  Stineli;  "then, 
when  we  get  money  enough,  you  will  be  able  to  find 
your  way  to  it.  We  might  ask  the  teacher  about  it, 
and  possibly  grandmother  could  tell  us." 

"  I  think  my  father  will  know,  and  I  will  ask  him 
just  as  soon  as  he  comes  back." 

They  heard  the  vesper  bell  ringing  in  the  distance. 
They  rose  immediately  and  ran  through  the  bushes 


THE  DISTANT  LAKE  WITHOUT  A  NAME     21 

and  snow,  down  the  hill  and  across  the  meadow.  In 
a  few  moments  they  were  panting  beside  the  grand- 
mother, who  stood  at  the  door  waiting  for  them.  She 
greeted  them  hastily  and  motioned  for  Stineli  to  pass 
into  the  house;  then  she  added  to  Rico:  "  I  think 
that  you  had  better  go  in  when  you  get  to  the  house 
to-night,  instead  of  waiting  awhile  outside.  It  may 
be  better." 

No  one  had  ever  spoken  like  that  to  him  before, 
and  he  wondered  why  she  asked  it  of  him.  He 
wished  to  obey  the  grandmother,  but  he  could  not 
help  entering  the  house  reluctantly. 


CHAPTER  V 
THE  LAKE  HAS  A  NAME 

The  aunt  was  not  in  the  living  room  when  Rico 
entered,  so  he  went  to  the  kitchen  door  and  opened 
it.  There  she  stood,  but  before  Rico  had  time  to  take 
a  step  nearer,  she  raised  her  ringer  in  warning : 
"  Hush  !  don't  open  and  shut  all  the  doors  as  if  there 
were  four  of  you  coming.  Go  into  the  other  room 
and  keep  still.  Your  father  was  brought  home  in  a 
wagon,  and  he  is  sick  upstairs." 

Rico  went  to  the  bench  by  the  window,  where  he 
sat  motionless  for  fully  half  an  hour.  Then  he  decided 
that  he  would  go  up  quietly  and  look  at  his  father ; 
it  was  past  supper  time,  and  perhaps  the  sick  man 
might  be  needing  something.  He  heard  the  aunt 
walking  about  the  kitchen,  so  he  silently  slipped 
behind  the  stove  and  up  the  narrow  stairway  into 
his  father's  room. 

In  a  moment  he  was  again  in  the  kitchen,  saying 
faintly,  "  Come,  aunt !  " 

She  was  about  to  take  him  by  the  shoulders  to 
shake  him,  when  she  caught  sight  of  his  frightened 


THE  LAKE  HAS  A  NAME  23 

face.  She  shrank  from  him,  exclaiming,  "What  has 
happened  ?  " 

"If  you  will  go  to  my  father,"  said  Rico,  "  I  will 
see  if  the  grandmother  can  come  over.  My  father 
must  be  dead." 

"  I  will  run  for  the  pastor !  "  cried  the  aunt,  and 
rushed  out  ahead  of  the  trembling  boy. 

Later  he  heard  his  aunt  tell  the  pastor  that  for 
several  weeks  his  father  had  been  working  down  in 
the  St.  Gall  district  on  a  railroad.  He  had  received 
a  bad  wound  on  his  head  while  blasting  stone.  The 
journey  home,  part  of  which  had  to  be  taken  in  an 
open  wagon,  had  proved  too  much  for  him. 

The  following  Sunday  the  man  was  buried.  Rico 
was  the  only  mourner  to  follow  the  coffin.  A  few 
neighbors  joined  him  through  sympathy,  and  thus  the 
procession  moved  through  Sils.  Here  Rico  heard  the 
pastor  read  aloud  during  the  service,  "  The  dead 
man  was  called  Enrico  Trevillo  and  was  born  in 
Peschiera  on  Lake  Garda." 

It  seemed  to  Rico  that  he  was  hearing  something 
he  had  known  very  well  but  had  not  been  able  to 
recall.  He  understood  now  why  he  had  always  had 
the  lake  in  mind  when  he  and  the  father  had  sung 
his  favorite  song : 

"  Una  sera 
In  Peschiera." 


24  LAKE  SILS  AND  LAKE  GARDA 

As  Rico  was  returning  alone  from  the  funeral,  he 
noticed  that  the  grandmother  and  Stineli  were  waiting 
in  the  yard.  When  he  drew  near  they  beckoned  him 
to  come  to  them. 

The  grandmother  gave  the  boy  and  girl  some  bread, 
saying:  "  Now  go  and  take  a  walk  together.  Rico 
had  better  not  be  left  alone  to-day." 

She  looked  pityingly  after  the  boy  as  the  children 
walked  away.  When  she  could  see  them  no  longer, 
she  repeated  softly : 

"  Whatever  in  His  care  is  laid 
Shall  have  a  happy  end." 


CHAPTER  VI 
RICO'S  MOTHER 

The  teacher  was  coming  down  the  path  from  Sils, 
leaning  heavily  on  his  cane.  He  came  directly  from 
the  funeral  of  Rico's  father.  He  was  coughing  and 
panting  as  he  greeted  the  grandmother,  and  he  sank 
heavily  to  the  seat  beside  her. 

"  If  you  are  willing,"  he  said,  "  I  will  rest  here  a 
few  moments.  My  throat  troubles  me,  and  my  chest 
is  very  weak.  Of  course,  now  that  I  am  seventy  years 
old  I  must  expect  such  things.  What  a  pity  that  a 
man  of  such  powerful  strength  as  the  Italian  must 
give  up  life  !  He  was  not  yet  thirty-five  years  old." 

"  Yes,"  said  the  grandmother,  "  I,  too,  have  been 
thinking  how  much  better  I  might  have  been  spared 
than  he." 

"  I  know  how  you  feel,"  replied  the  teacher,  "but 
I  suppose  the  older  people  have  their  place  in  life  to 
fill  as  well  as  the  younger  ones.  Where  would  they 
find  precept  and  example  but  for  us  ?  What  will 
become  of  the  boy  yonder  ?  " 

"  What  will  become  of  him  ?  "  repeated  the  grand- 
mother. "  I  have  been  asking  the  same  question,  and 
25 


26  LAKE  SILS  AND  LAKE  GARDA 

I  cannot  tell  you.  I  only  know  that  there  is  a  Heavenly 
Father  whom  he  still  has,  and  he  will  doubtless  find 
a  place  for  the  homeless  one." 

"  Tell  me,  neighbor,  how  it  ever  happened  that  an 
Italian  should  get  a  wife  up  here.  There  is  no  know- 
ing what  those  strangers  are." 

"  I  will  tell  you  about  them,"  said  the  grandmother. 
"  You  remember  that  the  girl's  mother  had  lost  her 
.husband  and  several  children,  leaving  her  only  this 
one  daughter.  She  was  a  charming  maiden,  with  whom 
the  mother  lived  for  years  alone.  I  think  that  it  is 
about  twelve  years  since  the  handsome  young  Trevillo 
first  came  here.  He  had  joined  a  group  of  men  who 
were  working  on  the  Maloja.  It  was  a  case  of  love  at 
first  sight  with  the  young  people.  I  am  glad  to  be  able 
to  say  that  Trevillo  was  not  only  a  very  handsome 
man  but  also  very  capable.  The  mother  was  proud  of 
her  son-in-law  and  wanted  them  to  remain  with  her. 
They  meant  to  do  as  she  wished,  but  the  daughter 
had  a  longing  to  see  the  place  that  Trevillo  described 
to  her  when  they  walked  up  the  Maloja.  The  mother 
objected  strongly  at  first,  but  when  she  heard  that  Tre- 
villo owned  a  house  and  farm,  having  left  it  simply 
to  see  something  of  the  hills,  she  gave  her  consent 
and  they  moved  away.  She  heard  from  them  regularly 
through  the  mail,  but  the  daughter  preferred  to  re- 
main in  the  new  home,  where  they  were  very  happy. 


RICO'S  MOTHER  27 

"A  number  of  years  later,  Trevillo  came  back  to 
the  mother,  carrying  a  little  boy.  '  There,  mother,'  he 
said,  as  he  held  the  boy  for  her  to  take,  '  we  have 
come  back  to  you  without  Marie.  She  and  the  other 
baby  were  buried  a  few  days  ago,  and  we  cannot  bear 
to  live  without  her  down  there.  If  you  don't  mind, 
we  will  stay  here  with  you.' 

"  It  brought  both  happiness  and  sorrow  to  the 
mother.  Rico  was  four  years  old  and  extremely  lov- 
able and  good.  He  was  a  comfort  to  her  and  her  last 
great  pleasure,  for  she  died  a  year  later.  People  ad- 
vised Trevillo  to  get  the  aunt  to  keep  house  for  him 
and  the  boy,  and  thus  they  have  lived  ever  since." 

"  So  that  is  their  story !  "  remarked  the  teacher, 
when  she  had  finished  speaking.  "  I  never  could 
imagine  how  it  came  about.  It  is  possible  that  some 
relative  of  Trevillo's  may  come  to  take  the  child." 

"  Relatives !  "  said  the  grandmother,  scornfully. 
"  The  aunt  is  a  relative,  and  what  does  he  get  from 
her  ?  Few  enough  kind  words,  I  am  sure." 

The  teacher  rose  stiffly.  "  I  am  rapidly  getting 
old,  my  friend,"  he  said.  "  I  feel  my  strength  leaving 
me  to  such  an  extent  that  I  can  scarcely  get  about." 

"  You  should  still  feel  young  in  comparison 
with  me,"  said  the  grandmother,  and  she  wondered 
at  his  feebleness  as  he  walked  away  with  slow, 
unsteady  steps. 


CHAPTER  VII 
A  PRECIOUS  LEGACY  AND  A  PRECIOUS  PRAYER 

The  pleasant  summer  days  were  at  hand.  The 
grandmother  did  not  forget  Rico's  loneliness,  and  she 
helped  Stineli  with  the  work  as  much  as  possible,  so 
that  she  and  Rico  might  play  together. 

In  the  early  days  of  September,  when  every  one 
made  an  effort  to  stay  out  of  doors  for  the  last  of  the 
warm  evenings,  the  teacher  was  forced  to  remain  in 
the  house,  for  he  was  growing  weaker  and  coughed 
more  and  more.  One  morning,  when  he  tried  to  rise 
as  usual,  he  fell  back  upon  his  pillow,  exhausted.  This 
brought  to  his  mind  serious  thoughts  of  how  things 
would  be  left  in  case  he  died.  He  had  lived  among 
these  mountain  people  all  his  life  and  loved  both  his 
home  and  his  work,  but  he  had  no  children,  and  his 
wife  had  been  dead  many  years.  The  only  one  who 
lived  with  him  was  a  faithful  old  servant.  He  had 
made  no  plans  for  disposing  of  his  property.  He 
loved  his  violin  more  than  all  his  other  possessions, 
and  it  grieved  him  to  realize  that  the  time  was  at 
hand  when  he  must  leave  it.  He  remembered  the 
28 


A  PRECIOUS  LEGACY  29 

day  that  Rico  had  been  there  and  had  held  it  so  lov- 
ingly, and  the  desire  came  to  him  to  leave  it  with  the 
boy,  so  that  it  might  always  have  the  care  it  deserved. 
It  seemed  a  shame  that  he  must  actually  give  away 
things  for  which  he  had  worked  so  hard  and  cared  so 
much.  Many  plans  for  disposing  of  them  presented 
themselves,  but  each  was  put  aside  as  he  faced  the 
grim  messenger  and  realized  that  earthly  things  had 
served  him  all  they  could. 

A  fever  was  taking  firm  hold  upon  him.  All  the 
evening  and  through  the  long  night  he  lay  restless, 
thinking  of  his  past  and  the  little  he  had  done  for  the 
world.  He  was  seized  by  a  longing  to  do  some  one  a 
real  kindness  before  it  was  too  late.  He  reached  for 
his  cane  and  tapped  the  wall  for  his  servant,  whom  he 
directed  to  summon  the  grandmother  to  him.  It  was 
not  long  before  she  stood  by  his  bedside.  Without 
waiting  to  extend  his  hand  in  greeting,  he  said : 
"  Please  be  so  kind  as  to  take  the  violin  from  the 
wall  and  carry  it  to  the  little  orphan,  Rico.  I  want 
to  give  it  to  him.  Tell  him  that  I  hope  he  will  take 
good  care  of  it." 

The  grandmother  understood  the  restless  impa- 
tience of  the  sick  one,  so  she  immediately  lifted  the 
violin  from  its  place,  saying :  "That  is  truly  good  of 
you.  How  astonished  he  will  be !  I  will  come  in 
later  to  see  how  you  are  feeling." 


30  LAKE  SILS  AND  LAKE  GARDA 

Rico  was  standing  on  the  doorsteps  when  he  saw 
the  grandmother  coming,  and  he  ran  to  meet  her. 

"  I  have  come  with  good  news  for  you,  Rico,"  she 
said.  "  The  teacher  has  asked  me  to  bring  you  this 
violin.  He  wishes  to  give  it  to  you.  Take  it,  Rico. 
It  is  your  own  now." 

Rico  seemed  suddenly  petrified.  The  grandmother 
touched  his  shoulder,  repeating :  "  It  is  yours ;  take 
it,  child,  and  be  happy.  The  teacher  wants  you  to 
have  it." 

Rico  trembled  as  she  laid  the  gift  in  his  arms. 
"  If  that  is  true,  I  will  take  it,"  was  all  he  could  say. 

"  You  will  always  be  careful  of  it,  won't  you  ? " 
asked  the  grandmother,  to  fulfill  the  teacher's  re- 
quest, but  she  smiled  as  she  thought  how  unnecessary 
the  caution  was.  "  Now,  Rico,"  she  added,  "I  will 
go  home,  but  I  hope  that  you  will  not  forget  about 
the  teacher's  kindness,  for  he  is  very  sick." 

Rico  went  up  to  his  room,  where  he  could  be  alone 
with  his  treasure.  Here  he  examined  it  carefully  and 
played  softly  to  his  heart's  content.  So  absorbed  was 
he  in  his  pleasure  that  he  forgot  to  think  of  the  time 
until  it  began  to  grow  dark. 

His  aunt  met  him  at  the  foot  of  the  stairs,  saying  : 
"  You  may  have  something  to  eat  to-morrow.  You 
are  so  excited  to-day  that  you  deserve  nothing." 

Rico  had   not   thought   about   supper.    He  said 


A  PRECIOUS  LEGACY  31 

nothing  to  his  aunt,  but  walked  contentedly  over 
to  find  the  grandmother.  Stineli  was  lighting  the 
kitchen  fire  when  he  went  in.  Ever  since  she  had 
heard  the  good  news  in  the  morning,  she  had  been 
wishing  that  she  had  time  to  run  over  to  tell  Rico 
how  glad  she  was.  Now  that  he  suddenly  stood 
before  her,  she  could  contain  herself  no  longer. 
She  exclaimed  over  and  over  as  she  danced  about : 
"It  is  yours,  Rico !  I  am  so  glad  !  It  is  yours ! 
It  is  yours  !  " 

Before  the  rejoicing  had  subsided,  the  grandmother 
entered.  Rico  went  up  to  her  and  said,  "  Grand- 
mother, will  it  be  right  for  me  to  go  over  to  thank 
the  teacher  if  he  is  sick  ?  " 

She  considered  a  moment,  because  the  old  man  had 
looked  so  ill  that  morning ;  then  she  said,  "  Yes  ;  I 
will  go  with  you." 

She  led  the  way  to  the  sick  man's  room,  Rico 
following  closely  with  the  precious  violin,  which 
had  not  been  out  of  his  arms  since  it  had  been 
given  to  him. 

The  teacher  had  become  very  weak  since  morning. 
Rico  stepped  to  the  bed  with  such  a  happy,  grateful 
face  that  he  did  not  need  to  say  a  word.  The  sick 
man  gave  the  boy  a  loving  caress  and  then  asked  for 
the  grandmother.  Rico  stepped  aside  and  she  took 
his  place.  "  Grandmother,"  said  the  teacher  faintly, 


32  LAKE  SILS  AND  LAKE  GARDA 

"  I  have  been  feeling  so  troubled  that  I  shall  be  glad 
if  you  will  pray  for  me." 

Just  then  the  vesper  bell  rang.  Rico  bowed  his 
head  as  the  grandmother  prayed  by  the  bed.  After 
an  interval  of  silence  she  gently  closed  the  eyes 
of  her  old  friend,  for  he  had  died  during  prayer. 
Then  taking  Rico  by  the  hand,  she  led  him  softly 
from  the  room. 

Rico  understood  what  had  happened.  He  and  the 
grandmother  walked  in  silence  until  they  reached 
her  home. 

"Do  not  be  unhappy,  Rico,"  she  said ;  "your  teacher 
has  been  suffering  for  some  time,  and  we  should 
rather  rejoice  that  he  is  now  at  rest  with  the  Heavenly 
Father.  I  know  you  will  always  remember  him  for 
his  useful  life  and  for  his  loving  gift  to  you." 


CHAPTER  VIII 
AT  LAKE  SILS 

During  the  week  that  followed  Rico's  good  fortune 
Stineli  was  as  happy  as  a  bird,  in  spite  of  the  fact  that 
there  seemed  to  be  ten  more  days  than  usual  before 
Sunday  came.  It  arrived  at  last,  and  proved  to  be  a 
glorious  day  of  sunshine.  When  she  found  herself 
with  Rico,  under  the  evergreens  on  the  hill  over- 
looking the  lake,  she  felt  so  thankful  that  she  could 
only  dance  about  the  moss-covered  slope.  After  a 
while  she  seated  herself  on  the  edge  of  the  cliff,  where 
she  could  see  both  the  lake  and  the  village  far  down 
the  hill. 

"  Come,  Rico,"  she  said  ;  "now  we  can  sing." 
Rico  sat  down  beside  her  and  began  tuning  the 
violin,  which,  you  may  be  sure,  he  had  not  forgotten 
to  bring  with  him.    Then  they  sang  together : 

"  Come  down,  little  lambs, 
From  the  sunniest  height  —  " 

and  on  through  every  one  of  the  stanzas.    Stineli  was 
brimming  over  with  fun. 

33 


AT  LAKE  SILS  35 


"  Come,"  she  said,  "  let 's  make  some  more  rhymes. 
How  will  this  do  ? 

"  Oh,  climb,  little  lambs, 
To  the  beautiful  green, 
Where  the  winds  are  all  hushed 
And  the  clouds  are  unseen." 

This  made  them  laugh,  and  they  sang  the  verses 
two  or  three  times.  "  More,  Stineli !  "  cried  Rico, 
encouragingly,  and  Stineli  went  on  : 

"  Little  lambs,  little  lambs, 
Under  heavenly  blue, 
'Mong  numberless  flowers 
Of  exquisite  hue. 

"  There 's  a  boy  who  is  sad, 
Here  's  a  girl  who  is  gay  ; 
But  all  lakes  are  alike 
Made  of  water,  they  say." 

They  laughed  again  and  sang  their  verses  over  sev- 
eral times.  "  I  wish  we  had  some  more,"  said  Rico  ; 
so  Stineli  added  two  more  stanzas : 

"  Little  lambs,  little  lambs, 
So  playful  yet  shy ; 
Gay  and  happy  are  they, 
Though  they  know  not  just  why. 

"  Now  the  boy  and  the  girl 
At  the  lake  are  so  glad ; 
If  we  think  not  at  all, 
Can  we  ever  be  sad  ?  " 


36  LAKE  SILS  AND  LAKE  GARDA 

Then  they  began  from  the  beginning  and  sang  all 
the  verses  over  and  over  again,  and  the  more  they 
sang  them  the  better  they  liked  their  song.  They 
tried  to  sing  other  songs  during  the  afternoon,  but 
every  little  while  they  would  go  back  to  what  Rico 
called  "  Stineli's  song,"  but  what  she  called  "  our 
own  song." 

Once  while  they  were  singing,  Stineli  stopped 
abruptly  and  clapped  her  hands  for  joy.  "I  have 
just  thought  of  a  way  to  get  to  your  pretty  lake  with- 
out money,"  she  said  exultantly. 

Rico  looked  inquiringly  at  his  companion. 

"  Don't  you  see  ?  "  she  added  hastily.  "  Now  that 
you  have  a  violin  and  know  a  song,  it  is  very  simple. 
You  can  stop  at  the  door  of  the  inns  to  play  and  sing ; 
then  the  people  will  give  you  something  to  eat  and 
let  you  sleep  there,  for  they  will  know  that  you  are 
not  a  beggar.  You  can  keep  on  going  until  you  get 
there,  and  you  can  come  back  in  the  same  way." 

They  were  still  discussing  the  plan  when  they  no- 
ticed that  it  was  growing  dark.  They  had  not  heard 
the  vesper  bell.  Running  down  the  hill,  they  found 
the  grandmother  out  looking  for  them. 

They  ran  joyfully  to  her,  taking  it  for  granted  that 
she  knew  they  would  have  come  earlier  had  they  been 
aware  of  the  time.  "  Oh,  grandmother !  "  exclaimed 
Stineli;  "you  will  be  astonished  to  find  how  well 


AT  LAKE  SILS  37 


Rico  can  play.  We  have  a  song  all  our  own  that  we 
want  to  sing  to  you." 

The  grandmother  smiled.  It  was  a  pleasure  to  her 
to  see  the  children  together.  "  I  can  see  that  you 
have  enjoyed  the  afternoon,"  she  said  when  the  song 
was  ended.  "  I  wonder,  Rico,"  she  continued,  "  if  you 
can  play  my  favorite  tune,  '  With  heart  and  voice  to 
Thee  I  sing.'  We  will  all  sing  if  you  can  play  for  us." 

The  grandmother  sang  softly  the  first  verses  of 
the  hymn  and  Rico  took  it  up  readily,  for  it  proved  to 
be  familiar.  Then  the  three  joined  in  the  singing,  the 
grandmother  speaking  each  verse  before  they  began  : 

"  With  heart  and  voice  to  Thee  I  sing, 

Lord  of  my  life's  delight ! 
O'er  all  the  earth  let  love  take  wing 
To  make  dark  places  bright ! 

"  I  know  that  Thou  the  well  of  grace 

And  everlasting  art ; 
Thou,  Lord,  to  whom  we  all  can  trace 
The  pure  and  true  of  heart. 

"  Why  then  unhappy  should  we  live 

And  sorrow  day  and  night? 

Oh,  let  us  take  our  cares  and  give 

To  Him  who  has  the  might. 

"  He  never  will  refuse  His  aid 
If  you  a  prayer  will  send  ; 
Whatever  in  His  care  is  laid 
Shall  have  a  happy  end. 


38  LAKE  SILS  AND  LAKE  GARDA 

"  Then  let  the  blessing  onward  go, 

And  cause  it  not  to  stay, 
That  you  may  rest  in  peace  below 
And  happy  be  alway." 

"  There,  that  was  a  real  benediction,"  said  the  grand- 
mother. "  You  may  go  to  rest  in  peace,  children." 

"And  I  believe  I  like  the  violin  just  as  well  as 
Rico  does,"  said  Stineli.  "Aren't  you  glad  he  can 
play  so  well  ?  And  it's  so  nice  here,  would  n't  you 
like  to  have  him  play  some  more  ? " 

"  I  am  very  glad,  dear,"  said  the  grandmother, 
"but  we  will  not  play  or  sing  any  more  to-night. 
We  '11  let  Rico  go  now,  and  let  us  all  keep  in  our 
hearts  the  thought  of  the  last  song.  Remember  the 
Father  will  care  for  his  own.  Good  night." 


CHAPTER  IX 
A  PUZZLING  OCCURRENCE 

That  evening  Rico  was  later  than  usual  in  return- 
ing to  the  house,  for  the  grandmother's  singing  lesson 
had  taken  some  time.  The  aunt  met  him  at  the  door. 

"  So  this  is  the  way  you  have  begun  !  "  she  said 
sharply.  "  Your  supper  has  been  waiting  for  you  long 
enough,  so  you  may  go  to  bed  without  it.  I  am  sure 
it  will  not  be  my  fault  if  you  become  a  tramp.  Any 
drudgery  would  be  better  than  taking  care  of  a  boy 
like  you." 

Usually  Rico  made  no  response  to  her  faultfinding. 
To-night  he  met  her  angry  look  with  an  expression 
of  determination  that  she  had  never  seen  in  his  face 
before. 

"  Very  well,"  he  replied  quietly,  "  I  will  take  my- 
self out  of  your  way."  He  said  nothing  more,  and  as 
he  went  up  to  his  dark  bedroom  he  heard  his  aunt 
bolt  the  door. 

The  following  evening,  when  the  neighboring 
household  had  gathered  about  the  table  for  supper, 
the  aunt  surprised  them  by  coming  to  the  door  to 
39 


40  LAKE  SILS  AND  LAKE  GARDA 

inquire  for  Rico.    She  had  not  seen  him  that  day. 

"  Don't  worry,"  said  Stineli's  father,  cheerfully ; 
"  he  '11  come  when  he's  hungry." 

As  soon  as  the  aunt  saw  that  the  boy  had  not  taken 
refuge  at  the  neighbor's,  she  went  on  to  explain  that 
in  the  early  morning  she  had  found  the  door  unbolted. 
At  first  she  had  supposed  that  her  trouble  with  Rico 
had  made  her  forget  to  fasten  it,  but  when  she  saw 
that  he  was  not  in  his  room  and  that  his  bed  had  not 
been  slept  in,  she  concluded  that  he  had  run  away. 

"  If  that  is  the  case,  something  has  surely  happened 
to  him,"  said  the  father.  "  He  may  have  fallen  into 
a  crevasse  on  the  mountain.  A  boy  climbing  about  in 
the  dark  might  easily  break  his  neck.  You  were  wrong 
not  to  speak  of  it  sooner,  for  how  is  any  one  to  find 
him,  now  that  the  daylight  is  gone  ?  " 

"  Of  course  everybody  will  blame  me  for  it,"  the 
aunt  retorted.  "  That  is  the  way  when  a  person  is 
uncomplaining.  No  one  will  believe  "  (and  here  she 
told  the  truth)  "  what  a  stubborn,  malicious,  deceit- 
ful child  he  has  been,  nor  how  he  has  made  my  life 
miserable  all  through  these  long,  long  years.  He  will 
never  be  anything  but  an  idle  tramp." 

The  grandmother  could  bear  no  more  in  silence. 
She  rose  from  the  table,  her  eyes  flashing  with  in- 
dignation. 

"  Stop,  neighbor,  for  pity's  sake ! "  she  protested.  "I 


A  PUZZLING  OCCURRENCE  41 

know  Rico  very  well.  Ever  since  the  father  brought 
him  here  I  have  seen  him  almost  constantly.  Instead 
of  saying  harsh  things  about  the  child  remember  what 
danger  he  may  be  in  this  very  minute.  Don't  you  sup- 
pose that  he  may  also  have  some  reason  to  complain? " 

The  aunt  had  been  thinking  all  day  of  Rico's  words, 
"  I  will  take  myself  out  of  your  way,"  and  trying  to 
justify  her  own  position.  Now  the  grandmother's  re- 
buke made  her  ashamed.  "  I  will  go  back,"  she  said, 
as  she  stepped  out  into  the  dark  field.  "  Rico  may 
have  come  home  while  I  have  been  standing  here." 
In  her  heart  she  knew  that  she  would  be  glad  to  find 
this  true,  but  the  little  house  was  empty  and  still. 

Early  the  next  morning  the  neighbors  set  forth 
to  search  carefully  in  the  ravines  and  along  the  ap- 
proaches to  the  glacier.  When  Stineli's  father  noticed 
that  she  had  followed  the  others  he  said,  "That  is 
right,  Stineli ;  you  can  get  into  places  where  bigger 
folk  could  not  go." 

"  But,  father,"  said  Stineli,  "  if  Rico  went  up  the 
road  he  could  n't  have  fallen  into  any  such  place, 
could  he  ?  " 

"  Of  course  he  could  !  "  said  the  father.  "  He  was 
such  a  dreamer  that  it  would  have  been  easy  enough 
for  him  to  lose  his  way.  He  probably  paid  no  atten- 
tion to  where  he  was  going,  and  wandered  off  toward 
the  mountains." 


42  LAKE  SILS  AND  LAKE  GARDA 

A  great  fear  entered  Stineli's  heart  when  she  heard 
this.  For  days  she  could  scarcely  eat  or  sleep  and 
she  went  listlessly  about  her  work  as  if  she  did  not 
know  what  she  was  doing. 

No  one  could  be  found  who  had  seen  Rico  since 
the  night  he  left  home.  As  time  went  on  he  was 
given  up  for  dead.  The  neighbors  tried  to  console 
one  another  by  saying :  "  He  is  better  off  as  it  is. 
The  child  had  no  one  to  look  after  him  properly." 


CHAPTER  X 
A  LITTLE  LIGHT 

Stineli  became  more  and  more  depressed  as  the 
days  passed.  The  children  complained,  "  Stineli 
won't  tell  us  any  more  stories  and  she  won't  laugh 
with  us  any  more." 

One  day  the  mother  spoke  to  the  father  about  the 
change  in  Stineli,  but  all  that  he  said  was  :  "  It  is  be- 
cause she  is  growing  so  rapidly.  Let  her  rest  a  little 
and  give  her  plenty  of  goat's  milk  to  drink." 

After  about  three  weeks  had  passed  in  this  way/ 
the  grandmother  went  with  Stineli  to  her  room  one 
evening  and  said,  "  I  can  understand,  dear,  how  hard 
you  find  it  to  forget  about  Rico,  but  I  am  afraid  that 
you  are  not  resigning  yourself  to  the  inevitable  as  it 
should  be  your  duty  to  do  for  the  sake  of  the  dear 
ones  about  you." 

"But,  grandmother,"  sobbed  Stineli,  "you  don't 
know  how  it  hurts  me  to  think  that  I  gave  Rico  the 
notion  of  going  to  the  lake  ;  and  now  that  he  has 
been  killed,  I  am  to  blame  for  it." 

A  great  load  seemed  to  fall  from  the  grandmother 
as  she  heard  these  words.  She  had  given  Rico  up  for 
43 


44  LAKE  SILS  AND  LAKE  GARDA 

lost,  for  she  could  not  otherwise  account  for  his  com- 
plete disappearance.  A  strong  hope  of  his  safety  now 
came  to  her. 

"Tell  me,  child,"  she  said,  "all  that  you  know 
about  his  going  to  the  lake." 

Stineli  told  of  Rico's  longing  to  see  the  pretty  lake 
he  remembered,  and  how  she  had  advised  him  to 
make  the  trip.  "I  am  sure,"  she  said,  "that  Rico 
started  for  the  lake,  but  father  says  that  he  would 
get  killed  anyway." 

"  We  have  a  right  to  hope  for  something  better," 
said  the  grandmother.  "  Have  you  forgotten  the  song 
we  sang  the  last  night  that  Rico  was  with  us  ? 

'  Whatever  in  His  care  is  laid 
Shall  have  a  happy  end.' 

Of  course  it  was  wrong  of  you  to  advise  Rico  with- 
out consulting  your  parents,  but  you  did  it  thought- 
lessly and  meant  no  harm,  so  you  may  dare  to  hope 
that  there  will  be  a  happy  ending  to  Rico's  going  to 
the  lake.  I  feel  satisfied  now  that  the  child  is  alive 
and  that  he  will  be  taken  care  of." 

From  that  time  on  Stineli  began  to  be  her  old  self. 
To  be  sure,  she  missed  her  friend,  but  she  cherished  a 
secret  hope  that  he  would  return  to  her.  Day  by  day 
she  looked  up  the  road  to  see  if  he  might  not  possibly 
be  coming  down  the  Maloja  Pass,  but  the  seasons  came 
and  went  and  nothing  was  heard  from  the  missing  boy. 


CHAPTER  XI 

A  LONG  JOURNEY 

When  Rico  was  so  harshly  dismissed  by  his  aunt 
that  Sunday  evening,  he  went  up  to  his  room  and  took 
a  chair  in  the  darkness.  His  intention  was  to  stay 
there  only  until  his  aunt  had  gone  to  bed.  It  seemed 
a  simple  undertaking  to  him  to  find  his  lake,  now  that 
Stineli  had  told  him  her  plan.  He  dreaded  the  aunt's 
interference,  although  he  knew  that  she  would  be 
glad  to  have  him  gone.  His  first  thought  upon  reach- 
ing his  room  was,  "  I  will  go  to-night,  as  soon  as  she 
has  gone  to  bed." 

A  feeling  of  relief  swept  over  Rico  as  he  contem- 
plated the  future  when  he  should  be  able  to  live  for 
days  without  seeing  the  aunt.  He  thought  of  the 
beautiful  flowers  he  would  gather  to  bring  back  to 
Stineli,  for  there  was  not  the  least  doubt  in  his  mind 
about  his  coming  back  to  her.  Then,  as  he  walked  in 
fancy  on  the  sunny  shore  of  the  lake,  and  thought  of 
its  beautiful  setting,  he  fell  asleep. 

His  uncomfortable  position  awakened  him  at  last. 
The  violin  still  lay  in  his  lap,  and  as  he  felt  it  his  plan 
came  to  his  mind.  The  room  was  still  as  dark  as 
45 


46  LAKE  SILS  AND  LAKE  GARDA 

when  he  had  entered  in  the  early  evening.  He  was 
glad  that  he  was  wearing  his  best  suit.  He  put  on 
his  hat  and,  going  softly  down  the  stairs,  he  quietly 
pushed  back  the  bolt  and  let  himself  out  into  the 
brisk  morning  air. 

Over  the  hills  he  could  see  the  first  glimmer  of 
morning.  Soon  he  heard  the  cocks  announcing  the 
break  of  day,  and  he  increased  his  pace  so  that  he 
might  get  beyond  the  town  before  it  was  light  enough 
for  him  to  be  recognized.  He  very  much  enjoyed  the 
walk,  combined  with  the  feeling  of  freedom,  as  soon 
as  he  got  to  the  open  country.  It  was  familiar  to  him, 
for  he  and  the  father  had  many  times  walked  there 
together.  He  had  no  idea  of  the  distance  to  the  top 
of  the  Maloja,  but  after  he  had  walked  steadily  for 
two  hours,  it  began  to  seem  like  a  long  way. 

Bright  daylight  came  at  last,  and  after  another  hour 
of  brisk  walking  he  reached  the  summit  of  the  moun- 
tain, where  he  and  the  father  had  so  often  stood 
looking  at  the  scenery  about  them.  A  sunny  morning 
was  spread  over  the  hills.  The  evergreen  tops  shim- 
mered in  the  distance  as  if  sprinkled  with  gold.  Rico 
sat  down  by  the  roadside,  a  very  tired  and  hungry  boy, 
and  well  he  might  be,  for  he  had  eaten  nothing  since 
Sunday  noon.  Perhaps,  he  thought,  he  should  find  it 
much  easier  now  that  his  way  would  be  going  downhill, 
and  possibly  it  would  not  be  much  farther  to  the  lake. 


A  LONG  JOURNEY  47 

As  Rico  sat  by  the  roadside,  lost  in  thought,  the 
large  stagecoach  came  rumbling  by.  Rico  had  often 
seen  it  and  envied  the  coachman  on  that  high  seat 
where  he  could  look  about  him  so  well  and  have 
control  of  those  fine  large  horses.  The  coach  halted 
in  the  driveway  leading  to  the  inn  at  the  summit. 
Rico  came  closer  and  watched  the  driver  as  he  came 
out  of  the  inn ;  he  had  remained  but  a  moment,  and 
he  was  now  carrying  a  huge  slice  of  black  bread 
and  a  large  piece  of  cheese.  He  cut  these  into  strips 
and  began  to  eat  them,  occasionally  giving  a  bite  to 
the  horses.  While  they  were  contentedly  eating,  the 
driver  noticed  Rico's  interested  attention. 

"Well,  little  musician,"  he  said,  "will  you  eat 
with  us  ?  Come  nearer  and  I  will  give  you  some." 

Rico  had  not  realized  how  hungry  he  was  until  he 
saw  the  bread  and  cheese,  but  he  quickly  stepped 
forward  at  the  invitation.  The  coachman  cut  such  a 
large  piece  of  bread  and  put  such  a  thick  slice  of 
cheese  on  it  that  Rico  had  to  find  a  place  to  lay  his 
violin  in  order  to  have  both  hands  free  to  hold  his 
liberal  portion.  It  pleased  the  man  to  see  the  way  in 
which  Rico  attacked  his  breakfast,  and  he  took  the 
occasion  to  ask  him  a  few  questions. 

"  You  are  a  very  young  musician.  Can  you  play 
anything  ? " 

"  Yes,  two  new  songs,  and  a  few  others." 


48  LAKE  SILS  AND  LAKE  GARDA 

"  Is  that  so  !  And  where  do  you  expect  your  little 
legs  to  take  you  ?  " 

"  To  Peschiera  on  Lake  Garda,"  was  Rico's  prompt 
reply. 

The  coachman  laughed  so  heartily  at  this  that  Rico 
was  puzzled. 

"That  is  great !  "  said  he.  "  Don't  you  know  that  a 
little  one  like  you  could  wear  out  the  soles  of  his  shoes, 
and  his  feet  too,  before  he  would  see  a  drop  of  water 
from  Lake  Garda  ?  Who  sends  you  down  there  ?  " 

"I  go  of  my  own  accord,"  said  Rico. 

"  Bless  me,  did  you  ever  see  such  a  child  !  Where 
is  your  home  ?  " 

"  I  don't  know ;  maybe  it  is  at  Lake  Garda,"  said 
Rico,  earnestly. 

The  coachman  looked  thoughtfully  at  the  boy.  He 
did  not  look  like  a  runaway,  neither  did  he  have  the 
appearance  of  neglect.  His  black  curly  hair  hanging 
over  his  Sunday  frock  was  very  pretty  and  childlike. 
His  attractive  appearance  and  honest  looks  gained 
the  man's  sympathy. 

"  You  carry  your  passport  in  your  face,  my  lad," 
he  said.  "It  is  all  right,  even  if  you  don't  know 
where  your  home  is.  What  will  you  give  me  if  I  put 
you  on  the  high  seat  beside  me  and  take  you  a  long 
way  on  your  journey  ?  " 

Rico  stared  in  amazement.   To  think  of  sitting  on 


49 


50  LAKE  SILS  AND  LAKE  GARDA 

that  high  seat  and  riding  down  the  valley !  How  he 
longed  for  the  experience,  but  what  had  he  to  pay  ? 
"I  haven't  anything  to  give  but  my  violin,  and  I 
couldn't  part  with  that,"  he  said  at  last. 

"  Well,"  said  the  coachman,  laughing,  "  I  shouldn  't 
know  what  to  do  with  that  if  I  had  it,  so  you  may 
keep  it.  Come,  we  will  get  on  now,  and  you  can  play 
for  me  anyway." 

Rico  scarcely  dared  believe  that  the  man  meant 
what  he  said,  but  it  was  true,  and  he  was  hoisted  up 
to  the  seat.  The  passengers  were  inside  the  coach, 
with  the  windows  down,  as  the  morning  was  cool.  The 
driver  took  up  the  reins  and  they  started  down  the 
hill  that  Rico  had  wanted  to  pass  over  for  so  long  a 
time.  In  what  a  remarkable  way  was  his  desire  ful- 
filled !  He  felt  as  if  he  were  sailing  between  heaven 
and  earth,  and  wondered  how  it  had  all  come  about. 

"Tell  me,  little  traveler,"  began  the  coachman, 
"  where  is  your  father  ?  " 

"  He  is  dead,"  answered  Rico. 

"  Is  that  so  !    Where  is  your  mother  ? 

"  She  is  dead,  too,"  came  the  answer. 

"  That  is  too  bad !  How  about  grandfather  and 
grandmother  ? " 

"  They  are  dead." 

"  Well,  well !  "  exclaimed  the  man.  "  But  you 
must  have  brother  or  sister  ?  " 


A  LONG  JOURNEY  51 

"  They  are  dead,"  was  again  Rico's  sad  reply. 

"  What  was  your  father's  name  ?  " 

"  Enrico  Trevillo  from  Peschiera  on  Lake  Garda." 

This  made  the  coachman  conclude  that  the  boy 
belonged  rightfully  to  Peschiera  and  that  possibly  he 
had  been  kidnaped  by  a  mountaineer.  However 
that  might  be,  he  determined  to  help  the  boy  to  get 
back  to  where  he  evidently  belonged,  and  so  he  dis- 
missed the  matter  from  his  mind. 

After  they  had  descended  the  first  hill  and  were 
riding  along  on  a  comparatively  level  stretch  of  road, 
the  driver  said,  "  Now,  little  musician,  play  us  a 
lively  piece  of  music." 

Rico  tuned  his  instrument,  and  feeling  very  grate- 
ful to  the  good  man  for  letting  him  ride,  he  not  only 
began  to  play  but  to  sing  with  all  the  strength  of  his 
bell-like  voice,  "  Come  down,  little  lambs,  from  the 
sunniest  height." 

It  so  happened  that  there  were  on  the  coach  three 
students  who  were  taking  a  vacation  trip  in  the  hills. 
To  them  the  music  was  most  welcome,  and  Stineli's 
verses  appealed  to  their  sense  of  humor.  Rico  was 
asked  again  and  again  to  sing  the  song,  and  they 
joined  in  the  singing  as  soon  as  they  had  learned  the 
words.  Sometimes  they  laughed  so  hard  that  they 
had  to  go  back  to  the  beginning. 

Thus    the  journey  progressed   merrily.     If   Rico 


52  LAKE  SILS  AND  LAKE  GARDA 

stopped  playing,  they  asked  him  for  more,  and  threw 
him  pieces  of  silver  until  he  had'  quite  a  sum  in  his 
hat  which  he  held  safely  between  his  knees. 

All  the  windows  were  now  open,  and  some  of  the 
passengers  were  leaning  out,  trying  to  get  a  glimpse 
of  the  musician.  The  fun  did  not  cease  until  the 
noon  hour  brought  them  to  an  inn,  where  they  were 
to  stop  for  dinner.  The  driver  helped  Rico  transfer 
the  money  from  his  hat  to  his  pockets,  saying,  "  I 
am  glad  that  you  have  that,  for  now  you  can  buy 
your  dinner." 

The  students  had  not  been  able  to  see  Rico  from 
their  position  on  the  coach,  and  were  much  surprised 
to  find  such  a  little  boy.  Their  good  humor  increased, 
and  they  took  him  in  their  midst,  giving  him  a  place 
at  their  table  and  waiting  upon  him  as  upon  an  hon- 
ored guest.  Rico  could  not  remember  of  ever  having 
seen  so  pretty  a  table  or  of  ever  having  eaten  so  good 
a  dinner. 

"  From  whom  did  you  learn  that  song  ?  "  asked  one. 

"  From  Stineli ;  it  is  her  song,  because  she  made 
it  herself,"  answered  Rico. 

"  That  was  clever  of  Stineli,"  said  another.  "  Let 
us  drink  to  her  health  and  happiness,  since  her  song 
has  so  richly  entertained  us  this  morning !  " 

The  noon  hour  was  gone  all  too  soon.  As  the 
passengers  began  taking  their  places  in  the  coach,  a 


A  LONG  JOURNEY  53 

large,  heavily  built  man,  clad  in  a  brown  worsted  suit 
and  carrying  a  heavy  cane,  came  to  Rico  and  said  : 
"  See  here,  little  man,  you  sang  very  well  this  morn- 
ing. I  heard  you  from  my  window,  and  I  want  to  tell 
you  that  I  am  in  the  business  of  buying  and  selling 
sheep,  so  I  want  to  give  you  something,  because  you 
sang  to  us  about  the  little  lambs."  Then  he  pressed 
a  large  piece  of  silver  into  Rico's  hand. 

The  man  entered  the  coach,  and  the  sturdy  driver 
tossed  Rico  to  his  seat  as  if  he  were  but  a  toy  in  his 
hands.  A  moment  later  they  were  speeding  down 
the  valley. 

Later  in  the  afternoon  Rico  played  again  for  them. 
He  went  over  all  the  tunes  he  knew  and  finally  played 
the  melody  and  sang  the  song  that  he  had  learned 
from  the  grandmother  the  previous  evening.  This 
dreamy  air  must  have  lulled  the  students  to  sleep,  for 
he  heard  nothing  more  from  them.  He  put  away  his 
violin  and  watched  the  daylight  fade  and  the  stars 
begin  to  twinkle.  The  evening  breeze  was  cooling 
the  air.  Rico  thought  of  Stineli  and  the  grandmother, 
and  wondered  what  they  were  doing.  In  imagination 
he  heard  the  vesper  bells,  and  then  he  wondered  no 
longer.  He  seemed  to  be  with  them  as  he  folded  his 
hands  and,  looking  up  to  the  star-sprinkled  heaven, 
prayed  as  they  had  taught  him. 


CHAPTER  XII 
THE  JOURNEY  CONTINUED 

Rico  had  fallen  asleep.  He  was  awakened  by  the 
coachman,  who  wanted  to  help  him  from  the  wagon. 
Everybody  had  hurried  away  except  the  students,  who 
came  to  Rico  to  bid  him  good  luck  for  the  journey 
and  ask  him  to  tell  Stineli  about  them.  Then  with  a 
merry  "  good-by  "  they  too  departed.  Rico  could  hear 
them  singing  Stineli's  song  as  they  went. 

"  If  we  think  not  at  all, 
Can  we  ever  be  sad  ?  " 

The  next  moment  found  Rico  standing  in  the 
darkness,  without  any  idea  as  to  where  he  was  or 
what  he  should  do.  It  occurred  to  him  that  he  had 
not  thanked  the  coachman  for  having  taken  him  so 
far,  and  he  wanted  to  do  so  before  going  away.  The 
man  and  the  horses  had  disappeared,  and  it  was 
too  dark  to  see  where  they  were.  Soon  Rico  detected 
a  faint  glimmer  to  his  left ;  this  proved  to  be  the  light 
from  the  lantern  in  the  barn,  and  he  could  dimly 
see  the  horses  being  led  through  the  door  into  the 
stable.  Rico  hurried  to  the  place,  and  finding  that 
the  large  man  who  carried  the  cane  was  standing  in 
54 


THE  JOURNEY  CONTINUED  55 

the  doorway,  apparently  waiting  for  the  driver,  the 
boy  waited  there  also. 

The  sheep  buyer  could  not  have  noticed  Rico  at 
first,  for  suddenly  he  exclaimed :  "What,  you  still  here, 
little  one  ?  Where  are  you  going  to  spend  the  night  ?  " 

"  I  don't  know  where,"  answered  Rico. 

"  You  don't  know  where  !  at  eleven  o'clock  at  night 
—  a  little  one  like  you  !  What  does  this  mean  ?  "  the 
man's  breath  nearly  failed  him  in  his  astonishment, 
but  he  had  no  chance  to  finish  his  exclamation,  for 
the  coachman  came  out  just  at  that  moment,  and  Rico 
immediately  stepped  up  to  him,  saying,  "  I  forgot  to 
thank  you  for  bringing  me  so  far,  and  I  wanted  to." 

"  Good  that  you  did  !  "  said  the  driver.  "  I  was 
busy  with  the  horses  and  forgot  that  I  meant  to  hand 
you  over  to  a  friend."  The  coachman  turned  to  the 
other  man,  saying :  "  Here,  good  friend,'  I  intended 
to  ask  you  if  you  would  n't  take  this  child  with  you 
down  the  valley,  since  you  were  going  that  way.  He 
wants  to  go  to  Lake  Garda,  and  he  seems  to  be  all 
alone  in  the  world  —  you  know  what  I  mean." 

"  Stolen,  perhaps,"  said  the  large  man  as  he  cast 
a  pitying  glance  at  Rico.  "  I  have  little  doubt  of 
his  belonging  to  those  who  would  do  well  by  him  if 
they  had  him.  Of  course  I  will  take  him  with  me." 
He  motioned  Rico  to  follow  him  as  he  bade  the 
coachman  good  night. 


56  LAKE  SILS  AND  LAKE  GARDA 

A  short  walk  brought  them  to  the  door  of  an 
inn ;  they  entered  and  took  chairs  at  a  small  table 
in  one  corner  of  the  room.  "  Let  us  count  your 
money,"  said  Rico's  new  friend.  "  We  can  tell  then 
how  far  it  will  take  you  on  your  journey.  Where  is 
it  that  you  wish  to  go  ?  " 

"To  Peschiera  on  Lake  Garda,"  answered  Rico. 
He  took  all  the  money  from  his  pockets  and  piled  it 
on  the  table,  putting  the  large  piece  of  silver  on  top. 

"Is  that  large  piece  the  only  one  you  have  ?  "  asked 
the  friend. 

"  The  only  one.  I  got  it  from  you,"  answered  Rico. 

It  pleased  the  man  to  have  Rico  remember  this, 
and  he  was  glad  to  know  that  of  all  the  listeners  he 
had  been  the  most  liberal.  It  occurred  to  him  to  add 
another  coin,  but  the  supper  he  had  ordered  came  in 
just  then,  so  he  said  instead :  "  Very  well,  you  may 
keep  what  you  have  for  to-morrow.  I  will  pay  for  the 
supper  and  lodging  to-night." 

Rico  was  so  tired  that  he  found  it  difficult  to  eat 
anything.  The  man  noticed  this  and  let  him  go 
straight  to  bed.  He  had  scarcely  touched  the  pillow 
before  he  was  fast  asleep. 

Early  the  following  morning  Rico  was  aroused 
from  a  sound  slumber  by  his  friend,  who  stood 
before  him,  cane  in  hand,  ready  for  the  journey.  A 
few  moments  later  Rico  joined  him  in  the  breakfast 


THE  JOURNEY  CONTINUED  57 

room,  where  their  coffee  was  awaiting  them.  The 
man  helped  Rico  to  an  abundant  breakfast,  telling 
him  that  they  had  a  long  journey  before  them,  so 
that  they  must  be  fortified  against  hunger  on  the 
way.  "  A  part  of  our  trip  to-day  will  be  taken  on 
the  water,  and  that  always  sharpens  a  person's 
appetite,"  said  he. 

The  breakfast  over,  the  travelers  started  on  their 
way.  They  walked  a  short  distance  and  then  turned 
a  corner,  where  Rico  caught  his  breath  in  surprise, 
for  a  beautiful  lake  lay  before  them.  "  Are  n't  we  at 
Lake  Garda  ?  "  he  asked. 

"  No,  no,  we  are  a  long  way  from  it  yet,"  replied 
his  friend.  "This  is  Lake  Como,  where  we  take  a 
steamer." 

They  were  soon  at  the  steamship  landing,  where 
they  entered  a  small  vessel.  The  sunny  shore  seemed 
to  speak  a  welcome  to  Rico.  He  and  the  man  had 
taken  chairs  at  a  table.  Rico  took  his  largest  piece 
of  silver  and  laid  it  on  the  table  in  front  of  his  friend, 
who  was  sitting  with  his  hands  resting  on  his  cane. 

"  What  is  that  for  ?  "  he  asked.  "  Have  you  too 
much  money  to  suit  you  ?  " 

"  You  told  me  that  I  must  pay  to-day,"  said  Rico. 

"It  is  good  of  you  to  remember,"  said  the  man, 
"but  you  mustn't  put  your  money  on  the  table  like 
that.  Let  me  take  it  and  I  will  settle  the  bill  for  you." 


58  LAKE  SILS  AND  LAKE  GARDA 

He  went  to  the  ticket  agent,  but  when  he  saw  how 
full  his  own  purse  was,  he  could  not  bear  to  use  the 
only  large  piece  the  child  possessed,  so  he  gave  it 
back  to  Rico  with  his  ticket,  saying  :  "There,  you  had 
better  keep  this  ;  you  may  need  it  to-morrow.  I  am 
with  you  now,  and  there  may  be  no  one  to  look  after 
you  when  I  am  gone.  Who  knows  how  much  you 
may  have  occasion  to  use  later !  When  you  get  to 
Peschiera  have  you  some  one  to  whom  you  can  go  ?  " 

"  I  don't  know  of  any  one,"  answered  Rico. 

The  man  stifled  his  surprise,  but  he  had  a  secret 
fear  that  all  might  not  go  well  with  the  child.  He 
resolved  to  find  out  more  about  the  boy  on  his  return 
trip,  thinking  that  the  coachman  would  be  able  to  tell 
him,  and  so  he  asked  Rico  no  more  questions. 

When  the  steamer  had  landed  her  passengers, 
the  man  said,  "  We  must  hurry  across  to  the  railway 
station  to  catch  our  train,  Rico,  and  I  am  going  to 
take  you  by  the  hand  ;  then  I  shall  be  sure  not  to 
lose  you." 

Rico  had  all  he  could  do  to  keep  up  with  the  man, 
who  walked  on  rapidly.  He  wished  for  time  to  look 
about  him,  but  he  had  to  wait  until  they  reached  the 
train,  which  was  the  first  one  he  had  ever  seen.  He 
felt  very  strange  in  it,  even  with  the  man  at  his  side. 
He  was  glad  that  he  was  near  a  window,  where  he 
could  look  out,  as  everything  was  of  interest  to  him. 


THE  JOURNEY  CONTINUED  59 

After  about  an  hour's  ride,  Rico's  friend  said :  "We 
are  coming  into  Bergamo,  where  I  shall  have  to  leave 
you,  Rico.  All  that  you  have  to  do  is  to  sit  still  until 
the  conductor  comes  to  help  you  off,  and  then  you 
will  know  that  you  are  in  Peschiera.  He  has  prom- 
ised me  that  he  will  tell  you." 

Rico  very  earnestly  thanked  his  benefactor,  and 
then  he  and  the  good  man  parted,  each  being  sorry 
to  leave  the  other. 

Sitting  in  the  corner  of  the  car,  Rico  meditated 
upon  all  that  had  come  to  pass  in  the  last  few  days 
of  his  life.  No  one  in  the  compartment  paid  any 
attention  to  him,  and  he  was  glad  to  spend  his  time 
looking  out  of  the  window,  thinking  of  whatever  he 
wished.  Three  hours  had  passed  before  the  conductor 
came  to  him  and  took  his  hand  to  help  him  down  the 
steps.  Then  pointing  toward  the  station  he  said, 
"  Peschiera."  The  train  started  on,  and  Rico  watched 
it  move  away  until  it  was  lost  to  view  in  the  distance. 


CHAPTER  XIII 
LAKE  GARDA 

Rico  walked  a  few  paces  away  from  the  station  and 
looked  about  him.  This  large  white  building,  the 
open  space  in  front  of  it,  the  winding  street  in  the 
distance,  were  all  strange  to  him.  He  was  positive 
that  he  had  never  seen  them  before.  He  had  to  con- 
fess to  himself,  "  I  have  not  come  to  the  right  place, 
after  all." 

He  sadly  followed  along  the  path  between  the  trees 
until  he  came  to  a  turn  in  the  road  which  brought 
him  to  a  sudden  standstill,  for  before  him  lay  the 
sky-blue  lake,  the  water  shimmering  in  the  sunshine. 
Yonder  were  the  towering  hills  in  the  distance,  with 
the  faint  outlines  of  the  white  dwellings  in  the  valleys. 
How  familiar  it  seemed  !  Many  a  time  he  had  stood 
just  where  he  was  at  present.  He  recognized  the 
trees,  but  where  was  the  house  ?  Oh,  there  should  be 
a  little  white  house  near  by,  but  it  was  gone !  There 
was  the  street  that  led  to  it.  How  well  he  remem- 
bered it !  There  were  the  red  flowers  in  the  abundance 
he  had  been  used  to  seeing.  There  ought  to  be  a 
bridge  a  little  farther  down.  In  his  eagerness  to  see 
60 


LAKE  GARDA  6 1 


it  he  ran  toward  it,  and  sure  enough,  it  was  there,  just 
as  memory  had  pictured  it. 

A  flood  of  recollections  overpowered  him.  It  was 
here  that  a  lovely,  loving  woman  had  held  him  by  the 
hand,  —  his  mother.  In  fancy  he  saw  her  face  dis- 
tinctly and  heard  the  sweet  words  of  her  lips,  and 
understood  anew  the  love  revealed  in  her  youthful 
eyes.  Throwing  himself  upon  the  grass,  Rico  wept 
bitterly. 

The  sun  was  setting  before  he  dried  his  eyes  and 
began  to  think  of  what  he  should  do.  The  golden 
evening  glow  that  his  memory  had  cherished  was  on 
the  water,  the  hills  had  taken  the  violet  tints,  and  the 
fragrance  of  the  roses  perfumed  the  air.  The  beauty 
of  the  place  comforted  him,  and  he  thought,  "  How 
I  wish  Stineli  could  see  this  !  " 

When  Rico  left  the  bridge,  the  sun  had  set  and 
the  light  of  day  was  fast  fading  away  into  darkness. 
It  seemed  more  like  a  home  than  anything  he  had 
known  for  years,  and  he  reluctantly  left  the  place. 
His  first  purpose  was  to  take  a  closer  look  at  the  red 
flowers  that  he  had  noticed  in  the  garden.  He  found 
a  path  leading  from  the  street,  where  he  could  obtain 
a  good  view  of  them.  It  seemed  to  Rico  that  there 
must  be  bushels  of  the  buds  among  the  trees,  shrubs, 
and  vines.  Again  he  thought,  "  If  only  Stineli  could 
see  them !  " 


LAKE  SILS  AND  LAKE  GARDA 


Rico  could  see  a  sturdy  boy  in  the  garden,  cutting 
grapes  from  the  vines.  The  side  door  of  the  attractive 
white  house  in  front  of  the  garden  stood  wide  open. 
The  young  man  noticed  Rico  and  stopped  his  whis- 
tling to  say,  "  Come  here  and  play  a  tune  if  you  can." 
This  was  said  in  Italian,  and  Rico  wondered  at  his  own 
understanding  of  the  words,  for  he  was  sure  that  he 
could  not  speak  like  that.  After  the  young  man  had 
asked  some  questions  and  discovered  that  Rico  could 
not  answer,  he  directed  him  to  the  house  to  play  there. 

Rico  stopped  at  the  door  and  played  and  sang 
Stineli's  song  from  beginning  to  end.  Through  the 
open  door  he  noticed  a  lady  sitting  beside  a  child's 
bed,  sewing.  When  Rico  was  about  to  turn  away,  a 
little  pale  face  was  raised  from  the  pillow  and  he  heard 
a  voice  say,  "  Play  some  more,  please." 

Rico  played  another  melody  and  again  turned  to 
go,  but  the  child  repeated,  "  Play  some  more." 

So  it  happened  time  after  time  until  Rico  had 
played  all  the  tunes  he  knew.  When  the  little  boy 
saw  that  Rico  was  really  going  away,  he  began  to  cry, 
begging  Rico  to  come  to  him.  The  lady  came  out, 
offering  a  coin  to  Rico,  who  had  played  for  the 
child  with  no  thought  of  money.  Then  it  occurred 
to  him  again  that  Stineli  had  said  that  people  would 
give  him  something  if  he  played  for  them,  so  he 
took  it  and  put  it  into  his  pocket. 


LAKE  GARDA  63 


The  lady  asked  where  Rico  came  from  and  where 
he  was  going,  but  he  could  not  answer. 

"  Have  you  parents  here  ?  "  she  continued,  and 
Rico  shook  his  head  in  reply,  thus  telling  her  that  he 
could  understand.  Then  she  asked  if  he  were  all 
alone,  and  Rico  nodded.  "  Then  where  will  you  go  ?  ' 
she  questioned,  and  Rico  shook  his  head  with  a  little 
gesture  to  indicate  that  he  did  not  know. 

The  lady  called  the  young  man  from  the  garden, 
and  Rico  heard  her  direct  him  to  take  the  child  to 
the  hotel  for  the  night,  and  to  tell  the  landlord  that 
the  bill  for  lodging  and  supper  was  to  be  sent  to  her. 
"  Perhaps  the  people  at  the  hotel  can  understand  the 
language  he  speaks,"  she  said.  "  He  must  have  been 
away  a  long  time  to  forget  so  much.  He  is  too  young 
to  be  out  alone,  and  I  want  you  to  tell  them  to  show 
him  the  way  he  wishes  to  go  in  the  morning." 

The  little  invalid  was  still  crying,  and  the  mother 
at  last  asked  Rico  if  he  would  come  to  see  him  in  the 
morning.  As  soon  as  he  saw  Rico  nod  his  assent,  the 
boy  was  satisfied. 

It  was  about  ten  minutes'  walk  to  the  city  proper. 
The  young  man  led  Rico  directly  to  the  landlady  and 
explained  his  errand.  In  the  meantime  Rico  noticed 
that  the  living  room  was  filled  with  men  who  were 
smoking  and  talking.  He  heard  the  landlady  dismiss 
the  boy  with,  "  Very  well,  I  will  do  as  you  say." 


64  LAKE  SILS  AND  LAKE  GARDA 

She  looked  Rico  over  from  head  to  foot  as  she 
asked  him  where  he  came  from.  He  answered  in 
German  that  he  had  come  down  the  Maloja  and 
could  understand  what  the  people  said,  although 
he  could  not  speak  in  the  same  way.  The  landlord, 
who  understood  German,  told  Rico  that  he  had  been 
up  to  the  mountains  himself. 

"  We  will  talk  about  it  later,"  he  said,  "  if  you  will 
play  for  the  guests  a  few  moments  first."  They  had 
called  for  music  as  soon  as  they  saw  the  violin. 

Rico  was  very  tired,  but  he  obediently  played  and 
sang,  beginning  as  usual  with  Stineli's  song.  None  of 
the  guests  understood  German,  and  they  talked  and 
laughed  during  the  song.  As  soon  as  he  had  finished, 
some  one  called  for  a  lively  tune,  and  Rico  tried  to 
think  of  something  they  might  like.  He  had  never 
heard  the  music  of  the  dance  halls,  but  he  finally 
thought  of  «,  Una  sera 

In  Peschiera." 

The  men  joined  Rico  in  the  singing,  much  to  his 
surprise,  and  they  made  the  strongest  chorus  he  had 
ever  heard.  It  was  fine  to  lead  so  many  voices,  and 
he  played  through  the  whole  number  of  verses. 

When  the  song  was  ended,  there  was  such  a  jubilee 
that  Rico  could  not  imagine  what  it  meant.  They 
surrounded  him,  shaking  his  hands  and  patting  his 
shoulders,  and  then  asked  him  to  drink  with  them. 


LAKE  GARDA  65 


Rico  was  bewildered,  for  he  could  not  understand 
their  surprise  that  he,  a  stranger,  should  know  their 
song, —  the  song  that  no  one  outside  their  locality 
would  care  to  learn.  Moreover,  he  had  played  it  with 
feeling,  like  a  loyal  Peschieran  ;  hence  this  hilarious 
gratitude  and  brotherly  welcome. 

Rico's  supper,  consisting  of  boiled  rice  with  chicken, 
was  brought  in  and  put  on  a  corner  table,  and  the 
landlady  rescued  him  from  his  embarrassment  by  ex- 
plaining that  the  child  must  eat  and  rest.  She  led 
him  to  the  table,  remaining  to  serve  him. 

Rico  was  indeed  hungry.  It  seemed  as  if  a  long 
time  had  elapsed  since  he  had  taken  breakfast  with 
his  friend  in  the  early  morning,  and  he  had  tasted 
nothing  since.  He  had  scarcely  finished  eating  when 
he  found  it  almost  impossible  to  keep  awake.  He  had 
told  them,  in  response  to  questions,  that  he  had  no 
home  and  that  he  was  going  nowhere. 

"  That  is  too  bad,"  said  the  husband,  kindly. 
"Don't  worry  about  anything  now,  for  you  must  go 
to  bed  and  get  a  good  sleep.  Perhaps  Mrs.  Menotti, 
the  lady  that  sent  you  here,  will  give  you  some  work 
if  you  go  to  see  her  to-morrow  morning.  I  have  no 
doubt  of  her  helping  you,  since  you  have  no  home." 
He  did  not  notice  that  his  wife  was  trying  to  keep 
him  from  saying  this. 

The  guests  called  for  another  song,  but  Rico  was 


66  LAKE  SILS  AND  LAKE  GARDA 

sent  to  bed,  the  wife  taking  him  up  to  an  attic  store- 
room that  contained  a  quantity  of  ear  corn  and  had 
its  walls  decorated  with  harnesses.  In  one  corner, 
however,  stood  a  bed,  and  Rico  was  soon  tucked  away 
in  it  and  asleep. 

After  the  guests  had  departed,  the  woman  said  to 
her  husband  :  "  I  don't  want  you  to  send  the  boy  to 
Mrs.  Menotti.  I  can  make  him  useful  myself.  Did  n't 
you  notice  how  well  he  can  play  ?  They  were  all 
pleased  with  him,  too.  Mark  my  words  that  the  boy 
will  make  a  better  player  than  any  of  the  three  that  we 
now  hire.  He  will  learn  the  music  easily,  and  we  can 
soon  get  along  by  hiring  only  two  men  on  dance  days, 
for  we  shall  have  him  for  nothing,  and  we  can  hire 
him  out  besides.  You  would  be  more  than  foolish  to 
let  him  go.  I  like  his  looks  very  much,  and  I  say  that 
we  will  keep  him." 

"  Very  well ;  I  am  quite  willing,"  the  husband  said 
amiably.  He  could  see  how  well  she  had  reasoned. 


CHAPTER  XIV 

NEW  FRIENDS 

The  next  morning  the  landlady  was  standing  in 
the  doorway  of  the  inn,  observing  the  signs  of  the 
weather  and  planning  the  work  of  the  day,  when 
suddenly  Mrs.  Menotti's  servant  appeared.  This 
young  man  was  manager  as  well  as  servant.  He 
understood  his  work  thoroughly,  and  the  place  pros- 
pered under  his  care.  He  had  a  habit  of  whistling 
wherever  he  went,  and  people  thought  it  was  because 
his  life  was  such  a  happy,  contented  one  that  he 
could  not  help  expressing  his  satisfaction. 

"  If  the  boy  I  brought  you  last  evening  is  still 
here,"  he  began,  "Mrs.  Menotti  requests  that  you 
will  send  him  over  to  her.  Silvio  wishes  to  see  him 
again." 

The  landlady  stiffened,  but  tried  to  say  pleasantly  : 
"Yes,  to  be  sure,  if  she  is  not  in  too  much  of  a 
hurry.  It  so  happens  that  the  boy  is  still  in  bed,  and 
I  would  rather  let  him  have  his  sleep  out.  You  can 
go  back  and  tell  Mrs.  Menotti  that  I  will  send  him 
over  later,  as  he  is  not  going  any  farther.  I  have 
67 


68  LAKE  SILS  AND  LAKE  GARDA 

taken  him  for  good  and  all.  He  is  a  little  neglected 
orphan,  but  I  will  see  that  he  is  provided  for  here- 
after." 

When  Rico  at  last  awoke,  he  felt  as  fresh  as  if  he 
had  not  taken  the  long  journey  the  day  before.  The 
landlady  admired  his  neat  appearance  as  he  came 
down  the  stairway.  She  beckoned  to  him  to  come  to 
the  kitchen,  where  she  served  him  his  late  breakfast. 

"  You  may  breakfast  as  welt  as  this  every  morn- 
ing, if  you  like,  Rico,"  she  said,  as  she  seated  herself 
opposite  him  at  the  little  table.  "  We  have  a  still 
better  dinner  and  supper,  for  we  cook  for  the  guests 
then.  You  might  pay  me  by  helping  with  the  work 
and  playing  for  us  when  we  want  you  to,  but  of 
course  it  remains  for  you  to  decide  whether  you  will 
stay  or  not." 

The  landlady  had  spoken  in  Italian,  but  Rico  had 
understood  her,  and  he  found  words  enough  to  say, 
"  Yes,  I  will  stay." 

When  Rico's  breakfast  was  over,  he  was  taken 
about  the  premises  so  that  he  might  become  familiar 
with  the  house,  barn,  chicken  shed,  and  yard,  and  also 
the  vegetable  garden,  for  his  help  would  be  needed 
about  them  all.  He  was  later  sent  to  several  places 
of  business  to  get  soap,  oil,  thread,  and  repaired 
shoes,  and  each  time  returned  with  his  errand  cor- 
rectly done.  It  was  therefore  evident  to  the  landlady 


NEW  FRIENDS 


that  Rico  knew  the  language  well  enough  to  be  of 
great  service  to  her.  The  afternoon  was  half  over 
before  she  said  to  him,  "  You  may  take  your  violin 
over  to  Mrs.  Menotti's  and  stay  until  night,  if  you 
would  like  to.  She  is  expecting  you." 

Rico  was  delighted,  for  that  would  take  him  near 
the  place  he  loved.  As  soon  as  he  reached  the  lake, 
he  went  to  the  bridge  and  sat  down.  He  recognized 
this  quiet,  fragrant  spot  as  all  that  was  left  to  him  of 
his  home,  for  it  was  still  associated  with  the  tender 
care  of  his  mother  as  no  other  place  could  be.  Its 
restfulness  appealed  to  him,  and  the  beauty  of  the 
scene  was  a  feast  after  the  years  spent  in  the  hills. 
He  longed  to  remain  for  the  rest  of  the  afternoon, 
but  he  realized  that  his  time  belonged  to  those  who 
had  given  him  a  home,  and  so  he  resumed  his  way 
to  the  sick  boy. 

The  door  was  open  at  Mrs.  Menotti's,  and  the 
little  invalid  heard  Rico's  step  as  soon  as  he  entered 
the  garden.  Mrs.  Menotti  came  down  the  path  to 
meet  him,  and  welcomed  him  so  cordially  and  led 
him  to  the  living  room  in  such  a  motherly  way  that 
she  won  his  affection  immediately. 

Rico  noticed  how  pleasantly  the  room  opened  to 
the  garden.  Each  night  the  boy's  tiny  bed  was 
rolled  into  an  adjoining  room,  where  the  mother 
slept.  Early  every  morning  it  was  taken  back  to  the 


70  LAKE  SILS  AND  LAKE  GARDA 

living  room,  where  the  morning  sun  and  pleasant 
outlook  gladdened  the  heart  of  the  little  sufferer. 
Beside  the  bed  were  the  tiny  crutches  with  which 
the  mother  at  times  assisted  him  to  move  about 
the  room,  for  he  was  lame  and  had  never  been 
able  to  walk. 

As  soon  as  the  little  one  heard  Rico,  he  lifted 
himself  to  a  sitting  posture  by  means  of  a  cord  which 
hung  suspended  from  the  ceiling.  He  could  not 
raise  himself  without  help.  Rico  noticed  the  frail 
hands  and  arms,  and  the  pinched  look  of  the  wan 
face.  The  little  frame  seemed  too  delicate  to  be  that 
of  a  boy.  The  child  had  seen  but  few  strangers, 
though  he  had  often  longed  for  company,  and  now 
his  large  blue  eyes  fastened  eagerly  upon  Rico. 

"  What  is  your  name  ?  "  he  asked  at  the  first 
opportunity. 

"  Rico,"  was  the  answer. 

"  Mine  is  Silvio.    How  old  are  you  ?  " 

"  I  am  eleven." 

"  So  am  I,"  said  the  little  one. 

"  Why,  Silvio,  you  are  forgetting !  "  broke  in 
Mrs.  Menotti.  "You  are  not  quite  four,  so  Rico 
can  see  that  you  have  made  a  mistake." 

Silvio  changed  the  subject.  "  Play  something, 
Rico,"  he  said. 

Rico  stepped  some  distance  away  from  the  bed 


72  LAKE  SILS  AND  LAKE  GARDA 

before  beginning  to  play.  Mrs.  Menotti  sat  in  her 
accustomed  place  at  the  head  of  the  bed.  It  was 
hard  to  tire  Silvio  by  playing  for  him.  Rico  had 
exhausted  his  entire  list  of  pieces,  and  yet  the  boy 
called  for  more.  Mrs.  Menotti  tactfully  brought  in  a 
plate  of  grapes  and  had  Rico  take  her  chair  by  the 
bed,  where  he  and  Silvio  might  enjoy  them  together. 
She  slipped  out  of  the  room  unnoticed  by  the  children. 
She  rejoiced  to  get  out  to  the  garden,  for  it  had  been 
days  since  Silvio  would  consent  to  her  leaving  him. 

The  children  did  not  find  it  embarrassing  to  talk 
together.  Rico  could  answer  all  the  questions  that 
Silvio  asked,  and  was  never  at  a  loss  to  find  a  way  of 
making  himself  understood  where  words  failed  him. 
The  mother  had  time  to  take  a  long  walk  about  the 
garden  without  Silvio's  having  once  called  for  her. 

It  was  getting  dark  when  she  returned.  Rico  rose 
to  leave,  but  Silvio  caught  hold  of  his  jacket  and 
begged  him  to  stay. 

"  Unless  you  promise  to  come  to  see  me  every  day 
I  will  not  let  you  go,"  he  said. 

"  But,  Silvio,"  said  the  mother,  "  you  must  re- 
member that  Rico  cannot  promise  that,  even  if  he 
would  like  to,  for  he  must  first  ask  the  people 
with  whom  he  is  living.  I  will  go  to  see  them  to- 
morrow, and  perhaps  we  can  arrange  it  so  that  Rico 
can  come  every  day." 


NEW  FRIENDS  73 


Silvio  grasped  Rico's  hand  lovingly  as  he  said 
good-by.  "  I  hope  you  won't  forget  to  come  every 
day,"  he  said.  Rico  was  sorry  to  leave  them.  He 
loved  Silvio  and  his  mother  for  being  so  good  to 
him.  A  homelike  atmosphere  filled  the  place  and 
made  him  wish  that  his  work  might  be  done  for 
them  instead  of  for  the  people  at  the  hotel. 

The  next  afternoon  Mrs.  Menotti  called  at  the 
Golden  Sun.  The  landlady  was  much  flattered  by 
this  visit.  She  met  her  guest  very  cordially  and  led 
her  to  the  parlor  upstairs.  Mrs.  Menotti  at  once 
made  her  errand  known,  urging  the  landlady  to  let 
her  have  Rico  at  least  a  few  evenings  a  week,  saying 
that  she  should  be  glad  to  pay  well  for  the  favor. 

The  landlady  had  been  thankful  that  Mrs.  Menotti 
had  not  interfered  with  her  keeping  Rico,  so  she 
willingly  promised  to  let  him  go  any  evening  that 
he  did  not  have  to  play  for  dances.  She  was  willing, 
she  said,  to  let  Mrs.  Menotti  pay  what  she  pleased. 

It  was  agreed  that  Mrs.  Menotti  should  clothe 
Rico  in  return  for  the  time  he  would  give  her.  This 
pleased  the  landlady  immensely,  for  not  only  would 
she  have  all  his  help  for  nothing,  but  he  would  soon 
be  earning  something  besides. 

The  days  passed  quickly  for  Rico.  In  a  short 
time  he  was  speaking  Italian  as  if  he  had  always 
known  it.  It  came  to  him  the  more  readily  because 


74  LAKE  SILS  AND  LAKE  GARDA 

he  had  once  known  it ;  then,  too,  he  had  a  good 
ear,  and  caught  the  true  Italian  accent  with  won- 
derful ease. 

The  landlady  found  Rico  much  more  useful  than 
she  had  expected.  She  praised  his  neat  way  of 
doing  his  work  by  saying  that  she  could  not  have 
done  it  better  herself.  If  he  were  sent  on  an  errand, 
he  never  failed  to  return  promptly.  He  was  indus- 
trious, patient,  and  good-tempered.  When  people 
questioned  him  about  his  past,  he  was  very  reticent. 
The  landlady  respected  his  silence  and  did  not  ask 
any  questions.  Thus  he  never  gave  his  reason  for 
coming  to  Peschiera.  A  story  was  told  around  the 
town,  however,  that  Rico  had  run  away  from  the 
people  who  had  abused  him  in  the  mountains,  that 
he  had  suffered  many  hardships  on  the  long  journey 
before  he  came  to  Peschiera,  and  that  he  had  found 
the  people  there  so  kind-hearted  that  he  had  decided 
to  go  no  farther.  Whenever  the  landlady  told  the 
story,  she  always  added  that  Rico  deserved  the  good 
fortune  of  having  found  a  home  with  them. 

The  first  week  of  Rico's  stay  at  the  Golden  Sun 
more  people  than  usual  assembled  for  the  regular 
dance  out  of  curiosity  to  see  the  little  boy  who  had 
had  such  strange  experiences,  and  to  hear  him  play.  In 
fact,  so  many  came  that  the  capacity  of  the  house  was 
taxed.  The  landlady  flitted  about  among  her  guests 


NEW  FRIENDS  75 


as  rosy  as  if  she  herself  were  the  Golden  Sun. 
Once,  as  she  passed  her  husband,  she  whispered,  "  I 
told  you  that  Rico  would  help  out  our  dances." 

Rico  listened  to  the  music  as  the  pieces  were 
played,  and  soon  found  no  trouble  in  playing  with 
the  others.  When  the  dancing  ceased,  he  was  asked 
to  play  the  Peschiera  song,  and  the  dancers  sang  it 
enthusiastically  as  a  fitting  close  to  their  evening  of 
fun.  It  seemed  to  Rico  that  they  had  been  boister- 
ously happy  all  the  evening.  The  noise  had  hurt  his 
ears  and  racked  his  nerves  so  that  he  was  thankful 
when  it  was  over.  The  crowd  dispersed  after  the 
song,  and  Rico  hurried  away  to  his  attic  bed,  where 
he  could  at  least  have  quiet. 

Later  that  evening  the  landlady  said  to  her  hus- 
band :  "  You  see  how  well  my  plan  works  ?  The 
next  time  Rico  can  take  the  place  of  one  of  the 
players,  so  that  we  need  hire  but  two." 

The  husband  smiled  at  his  wife's  sagacity  and 
added  :  "  Yes,  and  he  ought  to  be  a  favorite  with 
those  who  give  tips.  There  is  no  question  of  his 
getting  something  in  that  way." 

Only  two  days  later  there  was  a  dance  in  De- 
senzano,  and  Rico  was  sent  with  the  other  players. 
The  people  there  did  not  sing  the  Peschiera  song,  but 
they  were  as  boisterous  or  worse  than  the  Golden 
Sun  crowd  had  been.  The  coarse  laughter  made 


76  LAKE  SILS  AND  LAKE  GARDA 

Rico  shudder,  so  that  from  beginning  to  end  he 
thought,  "  If  it  were  only  over  !  "  He  carried  home 
a  pocketful  of  pennies,  which  he  put  uncounted  into 
the  landlady's  lap.  She  praised  him  for  doing  this 
and  prepared  a  good  supper  for  him. 

Rico  had  been  promised  for  another  dance  in 
Riva  the  following  week,  and  he  was  glad  to  go,  for 
it  would  give  him  the  opportunity  to  see  closely  what 
he  had  always  looked  at  from  a  distance.  Riva  lies 
at  the  opposite  end  of  the  lake  from  Peschiera,  and 
the  white  houses  of  the  little  towns  built  along  the 
shore  under  the  towering,  rocky  cliffs,  had  always 
seemed  to  throw  him  a  glance  of  welcome. 

The  musicians  crossed  the  lake  in  an  open  boat 
under  a  clear  blue  sky.  Rico's  thoughts  were  mostly 
with  Stineli.  He  wished  again  that  she  might  know 
how  pretty  the  lake  was,  especially  since  she  had  at 
first  doubted  its  existence.  He  knew  how  much  she 
would  enjoy  the  beautiful  sight,  and  how  much  it 
would  surprise  her  to  see  it.  He  meant  to  tell  her 
all  about  it  when  he  went  back  to  her. 

The  boat  landed  at  Riva  all  too  soon,  and  a  few 
moments  later  Rico  was  playing  for  the  same  kind 
of  people  that  he  had  played  for  at  the  two  preced- 
ing dances.  It  occurred  to  him  that  it  was  much 
pleasanter  to  look  at  the  white  houses  and  friendly 
rocks  from  his  accustomed  place  on  the  opposite 


NEW  FRIENDS  77 


shore,  or  to  amuse  Silvio  at  Mrs.  Menotti's,  than  to 
play  amid  the  present  tumult  and  applause.  As  they 
were  returning  to  Peschiera  that  night  he  found  no 
time  to  look  about  the  town,  though  he  had  long 
wished  to  see  the  place. 

When  there  were  no  dances  Rico  was  allowed  to 
go  to  Mrs.  Menotti's  every  evening,  for  the  landlady 
wished  to  prove  herself  grateful  not  only  to  Rico  but 
to  Mrs.  Menotti  as  well.  These  evenings  were  Rico's 
greatest  pleasure.  He  invariably  went  to  the  bridge 
for  a  short  time  on  his  way  over.  It  always  gave  him 
fresh  comfort,  for  he  knew  to  a  certainty  that  it  was 
a  place  that  had  once  been  a  part  of  his  home.  He 
had  found  the  exact  spot  where  his  mother  used  to 
sit  most  frequently  when  she  held  and  fondled  him. 
He  would  sit  there  and  think  it  over  and  over,  actu- 
ally living  in  the  spirit  of  the  past.  Each  time  he 
had  to  force  himself  to  realize  that  Silvio  needed  him 
and  would  be  waiting.  Though  it  was  always  a  little 
hard  to  leave  the  place,  his  peace  of  mind  was  re- 
stored as  soon  as  he  came  to  Mrs.  Menotti's,  for  she 
had  endeared  herself  to  him,  and  he  realized  that 
from  her  he  received  more  affection  than  from  any 
one  else  except  Stineli. 

Mrs.  Menotti  had  heard  the  story  about  Rico's 
suffering  in  the  hills,  and  she  considered  it  wise 
to  forbear  asking  questions,  for  fear  of  recalling  to 


78  LAKE  SILS  AND  LAKE  GARDA 

his  mind  painful  scenes  that  had  much  better  be  for- 
gotten. She  longed  to  take  Rico  away  from  the 
hotel,  for  she  knew  that  it  was  not  the  place  for  a 
sensitive  nature  such  as  his,  but  she  saw  that  this 
would  be  an  impossibility.  Once  she  fondly  put  her 
hand  on  his  head  and  said,  "  You  poor  little  orphan, 
I  do  so  wish  I  could  keep  you." 

To  Silvio  Rico  became  more  and  more  necessary. 
He  spoke  of  him  at  all  times  of  the  day  and  was 
always  listening  for  his  coming.  Rico  could  speak 
fluently  by  this  time,  and  it  was  Silvio's  greatest  com- 
fort to  listen  to  the  stories  he  would  tell  him.  One 
day  Rico  told  him  about  Stineli.  Silvio  was  so  inter- 
ested that  Rico  enjoyed  telling  him  about  her.  He 
told  of  Stineli's  seeing  her  brother  Sam  fall  into  the 
creek,  and  how  she  reached  the  place  in  time  to  catch 
one  of  his  feet,  holding  on  to  him  until  the  father, 
for  whom  she  called  as  loudly  as  she  could,  should 
get  to  them.  The  frightened  boy  was  in  the  meantime 
screaming  with  all  his  might.  The  father,  taking  it 
for  granted  that  children  are  always  noisy,  did  not 
trouble  himself  to  go  immediately,  but  when  he  had 
leisurely  strolled  across  the  field  to  find  out  why  they 
called,  he  found  Stineli  still  holding  her  brother. 

Rico  told  how  she  drew  pictures  for  Peter  and 
made  playthings  for  Urschli  out  of  wood,  moss,  OF 
rushes,  —  sometimes  with  all  combined,  —  and  how  all 


NEW  FRIENDS  79 


the  children  wanted  her  when  they  were  sick,  because 
she  could  entertain  them  so  well.  He  also  told  of  the 
good  times  he  and  Stineli  had  enjoyed  together,  and 
he  became  so  animated  in  the  telling  that  one  would 
scarcely  have  recognized  the  quiet,  sober  Rico.  Sil- 
vio's delight  in  these  stories  made  both  boys  forget 
to  look  at  the  clock  in  time  for  Rico  to  leave  as  early 
as  usual.  He  was  startled  to  see  how  late  it  was  and 
hastily  rose  to  go. 

"  Good  night,  Silvio,"  he  said.  "  I  am  sorry  that 
I  cannot  come  to-morrow  or  the  next  day,  but  I  must 
play  for  some  dances." 

This  was  too  much  for  Silvio's  patience,  and  he 
called  to  his  mother,  who  hastily  came  from  the 
garden  in  the  greatest  anxiety. 

"  Mother !  "  he  cried,  "  Rico  shall  not  go  back  to 
the  hotel  any  more !  I  want  him  to  stay  here  and  I 
wish  that  you  would  make  him.  You  will  do  it,  won't 
you,  Rico  ?  " 

"  If  I  didn't  have  to  help  at  the  hotel,  I  would," 
answered  Rico. 

Mrs.  Menotti  had  feared  such  a  scene  for  some 
time,  but  was  troubled  to  know  how  to  meet  it  even 
now.  She  knew  too  well  what  Rico  was  worth  to  the 
landlady  and  her  husband  in  dollars  and  cents  to 
entertain  the  faintest  hope  of  their  letting  him  go 
from  them.  She  tried  to  quiet  Silvio  as  best  she 


80  LAKE  SILS  AND  LAKE  GARDA 

could,  and  affectionately  drew  Rico  to  her,  saying 
"  You  poor  little  orphan  !  I  wish  it  were  so  that  you 
might  stay  with  us." 

"  What  is  an  orphan  ?  I  want  to  be  one,  too," 
said  Silvio. 

"  I  am  afraid  my  little  boy  is  naughty  to-night," 
Mrs.  Menotti  admonished  him.  "  An  orphan  is  one 
who  has  neither  father  nor  mother,  and  no  place  that 
he  can  call  home.  Don't  ever  wish  that  again." 

Mrs.  Menotti  did  not  notice  Rico's  pathetic  glance 
when  she  gave  Silvio  the  meaning  of  the  word.  Later 
when  she  saw  that  Rico  was  gone,  she  supposed  that 
he  had  slipped  away  without  saying  good  night,  for 
the  sake  of  keeping  Silvio  quiet,  and  she  gave  it  no 
further  thought. 

"  Now,  Silvio,"  she  said,  as  she  sat  down  by  his 
bed,  "  I  want  to  tell  you  something,  so  that  you  will 
never  make  such  a  fuss  again.  We  have  no  more 
right  to  take  Rico  away  from  those  people  than  they 
would  have  to  take  you  away  from  me.  How  should 
you  like  never  to  see  the  garden  again  ?  " 

"  I  would  come  right  home  if  they  took  me,"  was 
Silvio's  valiant  answer,  but  the  illustration  had  served 
to  quiet  him,  and  he  was  soon  tucked  in  his  little  bed 
and  willing  to  go  to  sleep. 

It  would  be  hard  to  tell  just  what  passed  in  Rico's 
mind  when  he  quietly  left  the  house  that  night  and 


NEW  FRIENDS  8 1 


went  down  to  the  bridge.  "  I  know  now  that  I  am 
an  orphan,"  he  murmured,  "and  that  there  is  no 
place  that  I  can  call  home."  He  longed  to  stay  on 
the  bridge  all  night,  for  its  sweet  association  with 
the  past  was  his  only  comfort,  but  he  knew  that  the 
landlady  would  become  alarmed  at  his  absence,  so 
he  forced  himself  away  to  his  cheerless  attic. 

He  did  not  need  a  candle  to  find  his  way  to  the  bed, 
and  he  much  preferred  not  to  see  his  surroundings. 
An  eager  desire  to  see  Stineli  possessed  him.  He 
meant  to  tell  her  how  it  comforted  him  to  know  that 
she  cared  for  him.  It  was  late  in  the  night  before 
he  could  quiet  his  thoughts  for  sleep. 


CHAPTER  XV 

AN  EMPHATIC  APPEAL 

The  matter,  however,  was  not  at  all  satisfactorily 
settled  for  Silvio.  He  understood  that  he  must  do 
without  Rico  for  two  days,  but  it  wore  upon  his 
patience  as  the  hours  dragged  along.  He  fretted 
and  tossed  about,  wishing  continually  for  Rico.  Be- 
fore the  second  day  was  over  Mrs.  Menotti's  strength 
had  been  severely  taxed. 

When  Rico  understood  that  he  was  really  home- 
less, his  thoughts  turned  to  Stineli  more  than  ever 
before.  A  new  feeling  of  satisfaction  came  to  him  as 
he  considered  how  much  her  friendship  had  meant 
to  him  and  how  much  the  future  might  mean  if  .they 
could  be  again  together  as  in  days  past.  So  continu- 
ally had  she  been  in  his  mind  the  last  few  days,  that 
he  had  scarcely  reached  Silvio's  side  before  he  said, 
"  Silvio,  it  seems  to  me  as  if  no  one  could  be  quite 
happy  without  Stineli." 

"  Mamma,  I  want  Stineli,"  said  Silvio,  as  he  pulled 
himself  to  a  sitting  posture.    "  I  want  her  to  come  to 
me  because  I  can't  have  Rico,  and  he  says  that  no 
one  can  be  quite  happy  without  her." 
82 


AN  EMPHATIC  APPEAL  83 

Mrs.  Menotti  knew  of  whom  they  were  speaking, 
for  she  had  often  heard  Rico  mention  her  during  the 
years  he  had  been  with  them.  "  Yes,"  she  said,  "  it 
would  be  delightful  if  we  could  have  her,  but  my  little 
boy  must  not  forget  to  be  reasonable." 

"  But  we  can  have  her,  mamma,"  broke  in  Silvio. 
"  Rico  knows  where  she  is,  and  he  can  go  to-morrow 
and  bring  her  to  us." 

Mrs.  Menotti  had  for  some  time  secretly  wished 
that  Rico  might  find  for  her  some  one  to  assist  in  the 
care  of  Silvio,  but  she  would  not  for  a  moment  con- 
sider letting  the  boy  go  back  to  the  perils  from  which 
he  had  so  fortunately  escaped.  She  sought  to  change 
the  subject  of  conversation  between  the  children,  and 
endeavored  to  interest  them  in  other  things,  but  she 
failed  to  keep  them  from  going  back  to  the  original 
subject.  Silvio  would  invariably  say,  "  Rico  knows 
where  she  is  and  he  must  get  her." 

"  Do  you  suppose  that  Rico  will  deliberately  go 
among  those  wicked  people  to  get  her,  when  he  can 
stay  here  in  safety  ?  "  asked  the  mother. 

"  Will  you  ?  "  said  Silvio,  fastening  his  large  blue 
eyes  upon  Rico. 

"  Surely,  I  will  go,"  said  Rico  enthusiastically. 

"  Rico,  have  you  lost  your  senses  ?  "  exclaimed 
Mrs.  Menotti.  "  What  do  you  suppose  I  can  do  with 
you  when  you  both  begin  to  be  unreasonable  ?  You 


84  LAKE  SILS  AND  LAKE  GARDA 

had  better  play  something  for  Silvio,  Rico,  and  I  will 
go  to  the  garden  for  a  while.  By  the  time  I  get  back 
I  shall  hope  to  find  two  good,  sensible  boys." 

The  boys,  however,  did  not  care  for  music  to-night, 
and  they  talked,  instead,  of  possible  ways  of  bringing 
Stineli  to  them  and  of  how  it  would  seem  to  have 
her  there. 

When  she  returned  from  the  garden,  where  she 
had  enjoyed  the  quiet  evening,  Mrs.  Menotti  had  to 
remind  Rico  that  it  was  time  to  go  home.  Silvio 
urged  his  mother  for  a  promise  that  Rico  might  be 
allowed  to  go  for  Stineli,  and  both  boys  eagerly 
awaited  her  answer. 

"  You  may  feel  differently  about  it  in  the  morning, 
children,"  she  said.  "  I  want  you  to  go  to  sleep  in 
peace ;  possibly  before  the  night  is  over  I  can  think 
of  a  way  to  satisfy  you." 

Early  the  following  morning  Silvio  raised  himself 
in  bed  to  see  if  his  mother  was  awake  and  said, 
"  Have  you  thought  of  a  way,  mamma  ?  " 

Mrs.  Menotti  could  not  say  that  she  had,  and  again 
the  child's  discontent  broke  out.  All  that  day  and 
the  next  and  for  many  days  thereafter  he  would  not 
be  comforted.  Mrs.  Menotti  thought  it  was  only  a 
fancy  and  would  wear  itself  out,  but  the  extra  strain 
upon  the  boy  began  to  tell  upon  his  health  to  such 
an  extent  that  the  mother  became  alarmed.  She  was 


AN  EMPHATIC  APPEAL  85 

convinced  that  Silvio  ought  to  have  a  companion, 
and  she  resolved  to  consult  with  some  trustworthy 
person,  to  see  if  it  were  possible  to  get  a  child  from 
the  hills  in  safety.  Mrs.  Menotti  understood  that  Rico 
had  escaped  from  ill  treatment  in  the  hill  country,  and 
she  avoided  asking  him  questions  about  his  past  life, 
hoping  that  he  was  young  enough  to  let  silence  efface 
all  unpleasant  memories.  On  this  account  she  felt 
quite  unwilling  to  let  him  undertake  the  journey,  and 
even  the  consideration  of  such  a  possibility  brought 
to  her  a  fuller  realization  of  how  necessary  he  had 
become  to  their  own  happiness. 


CHAPTER  XVI 

THE  ADVICE 

Under  these  conditions  it  was  a  pleasure  and  relief 
to  Mrs.  Menotti  to  see  the  pastor  walking  up  the 
garden  path.  He  came  frequently  to  inquire  after 
the  health  of  the  little  one.  As  usual  he  was  dressed 
in  his  long  black  coat. 

"  Silvio,  the  pastor  is  coming ;  is  n't  that  nice  ?  " 
said  Mrs.  Menotti,  as  she  went  to  the  door  to  meet  him. 

"  I  don't  want  to  see  him.  I  wish  it  were  Stineli," 
said  Silvio,  pouting.  Then  seeing  that  the  pastor  had 
heard  him,  he  covered  his  head  with  the  bedclothes. 

"  My  little  boy  is  out  of  humor  to-day,  and  I  am  sure 
he  did  n't  mean  what  he  said,"  apologized  the  mother. 

They  heard  the  boy  under  the  covers  say,  "  I  did 
mean  it." 

The  pastor  must  have  suspected  where  the  voice 
came  from,  for  he  walked  straight  over  to  the  bed, 
although  there  was  not  a  bit  of  Silvio  in  sight.  He 
said  :  "  God  bless  you,  my  son,  how  are  you  feeling, 
and  why  do  you  hide  yourself  like  a  little  fox  ?  Creep 
out  of  there  and  tell  me  what  you  mean  by  Stineli." 
86 


THE  ADVICE  87 


Instantly  Silvio's  head  was  out  and  he  said, 
"  Rico's  Stineli." 

"  You  must  be  seated,  pastor,"  said  Mrs.  Menotti. 
"  I  will  tell  you  what  Silvio  means,  for  I  want  your 
advice  very  much." 

Mrs.  Menotti  recited  in  detail  all  that  she  knew 
about  Stineli,  the  reason  why  they  wished  for  her, 
and  the  obstacles  in  the  way  of  getting  her.  "  I  have 
thought,"  she  said,  "that  it  might  be  a  good  thing  for 
the  girl  to  get  away  from  those  wicked  people,  and 
I  wonder  if  you  can  think  of  a  safe  way  to  bring 
her  here." 

"  I  think,"  said  the  pastor,  "  that  you  have  been 
misinformed  about  those  people  in  the  mountains.  I 
am  sure  that  there  are  kind-hearted  men  and  women 
living  there  as  well  as  here.  People  travel  so  much 
in  these  days  that  I  am  sure  that  it  cannot  be  much 
of  a  task  to  get  up  there.  One  thing  I  am  positive 
about  is  that  the  journey  can  be  taken  in  absolute 
safety.  I  know  some  live-stock  dealers  who  regularly 
make  the  trip  from  Bergamo  to  the  mountains,  and 
who  will  be  able  to  tell  me  all  about  it.  Since  you  are 
interested,  I  will  see  one  of  the  men  as  soon  as  I  go 
to  Bergamo  and  I  will  let  you  know  when  I  return." 

Silvio's  eyes  had  grown  larger  as  the  pastor  spoke, 
and  he  began  to  feel  a  great  respect  for  the  man  who 
could  so  ably  take  his  part.  When  the  pastor  extended 


LAKE  SILS  AND  LAKE  GARDA 


his  hand  to  Silvio  in  parting,  the  boy  fairly  plunged 
his  little  palm  into  the  larger  one,  as  much  as  to 
say,  "You  deserve  it  now." 

Weeks  passed  by  as  Mrs.  Menotti  waited  to  hear 
further  news  from  the  minister,  but  Silvio's  patience 
did  not  again  fail  him.  He  felt  sure  that  the  good 
man  would  help  him  to  get  what  he  wished. 

When  Rico  heard  that  there  was  hope  of  his  being 
sent  for  Stineli,  he  forgot  that  he  had  ever  been  sad. 
The  expectation  of  having  her  there  to  enjoy  the 
beautiful  scenes  and  to  share  his  companionship  fairly 
made  the  world  over  for  him.  His  serious  expression 
gave  way  to  a  happy  one,  and  his  purpose  so  animated 
him  that  it  added  a  new  charm  to  his  manner.  He 
went  often  to  see  Silvio,  and  took  pleasure  in  entertain- 
ing him  by  relating  incidents  of  his  active  life  among 
the  people  with  whom  he  lived.  He  stopped  playing 
the  dreamy  airs  and  substituted  those  more  suited  to 
his  present  mood.  He  played  so  well  by  this  time 
that  Mrs.  Menotti  was  proud  of  his  ability,  and  she 
often  gave  up  a  walk  in  order  to  listen  to  him.  It  was 
here,  with  those  who  loved  him,  that  Rico  enjoyed 
the  music  he  had  learned.  The  only  regret  of  the 
day  came  when  he  had  to  bid  them  good  night  and  go 
away,  for  it  always  brought  afresh  the  longing  for 
a  home  of  his  own. 

The  change  in  Rico  was  noticed  at  the  hotel  where 


THE  ADVICE  89 


he  lived.  The  landlady  was  much  astonished  one 
morning  to  have  him  ask  her  to  hire  some  one  else 
to  care  for  the  chickens  and  outbuildings.  He  thought 
that  he  had  performed  those  duties  as  long  as  was 
necessary,  and  he  preferred  to  be  released  also  from 
blacking  shoes  and  from  similar  work.  The  landlady 
remarked  that  he  was  indeed  getting  fastidious,  but 
she  was  too  wise  to  remonstrate,  for  she  knew  that 
there  would  still  be  enough  for  him  to  do. 

Mrs.  Menotti  had  liberally  provided  Rico  with 
wearing  apparel.  She  selected  as  carefully  in  material 
and  workmanship  as  if  he  were  her  own  child.  The 
landlady  said  that  he  always  went  about  looking  like 
a  little  prince,  and  she  meant  to  find  no  fault  in 
regard  to  the  work  he  chose  to  do.  "  I  am  sure,"  she 
said  to  her  husband,  "  that  since  he  brings  so  much 
money  from  the  dances  where  he  plays,  I  ought  not 
to  object  to  the  slight  expense  of  hiring  a  boy  to  do 
the  menial  work  about  the  house  and  garden.  Rico 
has  been  a  credit  to  us  so  far." 

The  years  had  passed  rapidly  since  Rico  came  to 
Peschiera.  The  vague,  dreamy  look  in  his  eyes  had 
given  place  to  one  of  purpose  and  determination.  He 
had  the  appearance  of  one  much  older  than  he  was. 

Another  autumn  was  at  hand.  The  purple  grapes 
were  temptingly  ripe  on  the  vines,  and  the  oleander 
blossoms  sparkled  in  the  sunshine.  One  morning, 


90  LAKE  SILS  AND  LAKE  GARDA 

about  the  usual  time  for  Rico  to  arrive  at  Mrs.  Me- 
notti's,  Silvio  was  listening  for  his  step  on  the  garden 
walk.  He  heard  the  gate  open,  but  when  he  raised 
himself  to  look,  there  was  the  pastor  instead  of  Rico ! 
Silvio  did  not  hide  under  the  covers ;  instead,  he 
clapped  his  hands,  shouting,  "  Mamma,  the  pastor  is 
here,"  and  stretched  his  arms  to  him  as  soon  as  he 
entered  the  room. 

This  cordial  welcome  pleased  the  minister,  and  he 
went  directly  to  Silvio's  bed,  although  he  had  seen 
the  mother  gathering  some  figs  in  the  garden.  He 
took  the  little  one  in  his  arms  and  said,  "How  is 
our  Silvio  to-day  ?  " 

"  Well,  thank  you.    When  can  Rico  go  ?  " 

The  good  man  laughed.  "  To-morrow  morning, 
my  son  ;  he  is  to  go  at  five  o'clock,"  he  answered. 

Later  the  pastor  explained  to  Mrs.  Menotti  that  he 
had  just  returned  from  Bergamo,  where  he  had  spent 
a  few  days.  He  had  looked  up  a  stock  dealer,  accord- 
ing to  his  promise,  and  found  that  the  man  had  made 
regular  trips  to  the  mountains  for  the  last  thirty  years  ; 
every  bit  of  the  way  that  Rico  would  have  to  go  was 
familiar  to  him.  It  so  happened  that  he  had  made 
his  plans  to  go  up  again,  and  if  they  would  send  Rico 
on  the  early  morning  train,  he  would  take  him  along 
and  see  that  he  was  well  cared  for  ;  moreover,  he  had 
said  that  as  he  was  acquainted  with  all  the  coachmen 


THE  ADVICE  91 


and  conductors  on  the  way,  he  would  arrange  for  a 
safe  return  trip,  so  that  the  young  travelers  could  not 
possibly  go  astray. 

"  I  wish  that  I  could  be  certain  that  no  harm  would 
come  to  Rico,"  said  Mrs.  Menotti  to  the  pastor,  as  she 
accompanied  him  to  the  gate  on  his  departure  that 
morning. 

"  You  have  no  reasonable  cause  for  worry,"  replied 
the  pastor.  "  Let  the  child  go  in  peace,  and  we  will 
pray  God  to  bless  the  journey." 

Just  at  this  moment  Rico  came  in  sight.  Silvio  saw 
him  from  the  doorway  and  shouted :  "  Don't  tell  him ! 
Please  don't  tell  him !  I  want  to  tell  him  myself. 
Come,  Rico;  I  have  something  wonderful  to  tell  you." 

Mrs.  Menotti  left  the  boys  alone  while  she  packed 
some  things  for  the  journey.  In  a  large  traveling 
bag  she  put  a  great  piece  of  smoked  ham,  a  loaf  of 
fresh  bread,  a  package  of  dried  fruit,  some  figs  fresh 
from  the  garden,  and  a  bottle  of  her  best  fruit  juice 
wrapped  in  a  napkin  ;  next  came  shirts,  stockings, 
shoes,  handkerchiefs,  and  various  other  things,  so 
that  one  might  suppose  that  Rico  were  going  for  a 
month's  stay  instead  of  a  week. 

"  How  much  I  have  learned  to  care  for  that  boy," 
she  thought,  as  she  looked  about  to  make  sure  that 
nothing  had  been  forgotten,  and  her- heart  sent  up  a 
silent  prayer  for  a  safe  journey. 


92  LAKE  SILS  AND  LAKE  GARDA 

"  I  think  you  had  better  take  this  bag  to  the  station 
now,  Rico,"  she  said  to  him  when  she  came  down- 
stairs. "  Silvio  has  told  you  that  you  are  to  go  on  the 
early  train,  and  you  will  wish  to  explain  matters  to 
the  landlady.  You  must  ask  her  if  it  greatly  incon- 
veniences her  to  let  you  go  so  soon." 

Rico  was  astonished  to  find  that  he  was  expected 
to  take  a  traveling  bag  of  such  huge  proportions,  but 
knowing  that  loving  hands  had  prepared  it,  he  did 
not  remonstrate,  but  took  it  gladly  and  did  as  he  was 
directed. 

When  Rico  told  the  landlady  that  the  pastor  had 
planned  for  him  to  go  to  the  mountains  in  the  morn- 
ing to  get  Stineli,  she  took  it  for  granted  that  the 
girl  was  his  sister,  and  inferred  that  the  sister  would 
live  with  them.  Rico's  statement  that  Stineli  was  to 
live  with  Mrs.  Menotti  undeceived  her.  It  was  a  dis- 
appointment, but  she  gave  her  consent,  feeling  thank- 
ful to  Mrs.  Menotti  for  not  having  tried  to  get  Rico. 

"  It  must  be  that  Rico  likes  it  here,"  said  the 
landlady  to  some  guests  that  evening,  "  because  he  is 
going  back  to  get  his  sister."  She  meant  to  let  those 
people  in  the  hills  know  how  good  a  place  the  boy 
had,  so  she  packed  a  large  basket  with  sausages, 
cheese,  and  boiled  eggs,  and  spread  a  loaf  of  bread 
with  fresh  butter,  saying  :  "  You  mustn't  be  hungry 
on  the  trip.  If  I  put  up  more  than  you  need,  they 


THE  ADVICE  93 


will  no  doubt  be  glad  to  have  some  up  there  ;  besides, 
you  must  have  something  on  the  way  back,  for  you 
will  surely  come  back  to  me,  won't  you,  Rico  ?  " 

"  In  a  week  I  will  be  here  again,"  said  Rico.  He 
took  his  violin  and  went  over  to  bid  Silvio  and  the 
mother  good-by.  He  asked  them  to  care  for  his 
violin,  for  he  would  not  have  dared  to  intrust  it  to 
any  one  else.  Rico  could  not  spend  the  evening  with 
them,  because  he  was  expected  to  go  to  bed  early. 
Mrs.  Menotti's  motherly  farewell  made  his  heart  go 
out  to  her  in  gratitude,  and  Silvio's  "  Come  back 
soon  "  rang  in  his  ears  again  and  again  as  he  walked 
through  the  darkness  to  the  hotel. 


CHAPTER    XVII 
OVER  THE  MOUNTAINS 

Long  before  five  o'clock  the  following  morning, 
Rico  was  at  the  station,  impatient  to  be  off.  He  had 
slept  but  little  during  the  night,  for  his  mind  was  in  a 
whirl  at  the  thought  that  he  was  actually  going  back 
to  Stineli.  How  glad  he  was  that  he  might  bring  her 
to  his  good  friends  on  his  return  !  When  he  found 
that  sleep  was  out  of  the  question,  he  dressed,  and 
going  to  the  station,  paced  back  and  forth  along  the 
narrow  platform  until  the  train  came  in. 

When  Rico  selected  his  place  in  the  car,  he  was 
reminded  of  his  ride,  years  ago,  when  he  sat  half- 
frightened  in  a  corner  of  the  seat,  with  only  his  violin 
beside  him.  This  time  his  luggage  required  more 
space  in  the  compartment  than  he  himself  did. 

The  stock  dealer  did  not  fail  to  join  Rico  at  Ber- 
gamo, and  they  both  enjoyed  the  lovely  daylight  sail 
on  Lake  Como.  The  boy  recognized  the  place  where 
they  landed  and  also  the  inn  where  they  took  the 
stage.  He  looked  especially  for  the  door  of  the  stable, 
where  the  lantern  had  shown  him  the  way  to  the 
94 


OVER  THE  MOUNTAINS  95 

coachman  on  his  former  trip.  He  had  not  at  that 
time  been  able  to  see  his  surroundings  very  clearly. 

The  sun  had  set  when  the  stage  left  the  inn,  so 
Rico  entered  the  coach  with  his  companion.  He  fell 
asleep  almost  immediately  and  did  not  wake  until 
morning,  when  the  sun  was  shining  over  the  moun- 
tain tops.  To  his  great  surprise  and  joy  he  found  that 
they  were  going  up  the  zigzag  road  of  the  Maloja,  so 
familiar  to  him.  He  could,  however,  see  nothing  but 
the  sharp  angles  in  the  road,  until  they  arrived  at  the 
summit,  where  they  alighted  for  breakfast  arid  to  give 
the  horses  a  rest.  After  breakfast  Rico  looked  for  the 
place  where  he  sat  years  ago,  when  he  was  a  tired  and 
hungry  little  boy.  He  remembered  distinctly  how  he 
had  watched  the  stage  which  later  picked  him  up  and 
took  him  down  the  valley.  Everything  about  him  was 
of  interest  now,  and  he  said  to  the  coachman,  "  Will 
it  trouble  you  if  I  sit  up  there  with  you  so  that  I  can 
see  better  ?  " 

"  Certainly  not,"  said  the  man ;  "come  up  if  you 
want  to." 

The  passengers  had  already  taken  their  places  in 
the  coach,  and  it  was  but  a  moment  later  when  they 
started  at  a  lively  pace  down  the  long,  sloping  grade. 
Rico  presently  saw  the  lake,  the  island  with  its  pine 
trees,  and  beyond,  the  white  houses  of  Sils.  Across 
the  fields  was  Sils-Maria.  The  little  church  showed 


96  LAKE  SILS  AND  LAKE  GARDA 

up  most  distinctly  at  that  distance,  but  Rico's  eyes 
were  searching  for  something  farther  down  the  hill ; 
soon  he  saw,  as  he  had  hoped,  the  two  familiar  houses. 

Rico's  heart  began  to  beat  wildly.  Where  and  how 
would  he  find  the  little  girl  he  had  not  seen  for  years  ? 
Suppose  she  should  not  be  there  any  longer  ?  Suppose 
she  had  forgotten  him  ?  It  seemed  but  a  moment 
before  the  stage  stopped  in  Sils,  and  Rico  alighted 
with  his  luggage. 

Stineli  had  seen  many  hard  days  since  Rico's  dis- 
appearance. The  children  had  grown  older,  so  that 
they  were  less  care,  but  the  work,  especially  since  the 
grandmother  had  died,  had  fallen  more  than  ever 
upon  her.  The  children  were  wont  to  say,  "  Stineli 
is  the  oldest,  so  she  can  do  that,"  and  the  parents 
often  said,  "  Stineli  is  young  and  strong,  so  she  can 
do  that";  thus  the  willing  hands  were  kept  busy. 
She  sorely  missed  Rico  and  the  grandmother,  the 
only  ones  who  had  ever  regarded  her  comfort,  but 
she  tried  hard  to  keep  her  cheerful  nature  uppermost, 
although  she  often  thought,  "  The  world  is  not  the 
same  now  that  they  are  gone." 

On  this  sunny  Saturday  morning  Stineli  came  out 
of  the  granary  with  a  bundle  of  straw  which  she  in- 
tended to  braid  into  a  broom.  As  she  reached  the  path 
leading  to  Sils,  she  let  her  eyes  follow  along  the 
dry,  smooth  way  until  her  glance  was  arrested  by  the 


OVER  THE  MOUNTAINS  97 

appearance  of  a  strange  young  man  coming  in  her 
direction.  She  knew  from  his  dress  that  he  was  not 
a  Silsan.  He  came  more  rapidly  as  soon  as  he  noticed 
her  and  when  quite  close,  stopped  and  looked  at  her. 
She  glanced  inquiringly  at  his  face  and  immediately 
recognized  her  long-lost  friend.  Dropping  her  bundle, 
she  ran  to  him,  exclaiming  :  "  O  Rico,  you  are  not 
dead  after  all !  How  glad  I  am  to  see  you  !  How  very 
tall  you  have  grown  !  I  would  never  have  known  you 
if  it  had  not  been  for  your  face ;  nobody  else  has  a 
face  like  yours.  O  Rico,  how  glad  I  am  that  you  are 
here  again  !  " 

Rico  was  pale,  —  the  joy  seemed  too  great,  —  and 
he  had  not  been  able  to  say  one  word.  Stineli  stood 
blushing  in  her  pride  of  him,  and  waited  for  him 
to  speak. 

"  You  have  grown,  too,  Stineli,"  he  said  at  length  ; 
"otherwise  you  are  the  same  as  ever.  The  nearer  I 
got  to  the  house  the  more  afraid  I  became  that  you 
would  be  different,  so  that  it  would  not  seem  the 
same  here." 

"  O  Rico,  if  only  grandmother  could  know  !  "  said 
Stineli.  "  But  I  must  take  you  to  the  others ;  they 
will  all  be  so  astonished  to  see  you." 

When  Stineli  took  Rico  into  the  house  the  children, 
unaccustomed  to  strangers,  began  to  hide.  The  two 
older  ones,  Trudt  and  Sam,  came  in  a  moment  later 


98  LAKE  SILS  AND  LAKE  GARDA 

and  shyly  said  "  Good  morning  "  in  passing.  The 
mother  simply  inquired  if  there  was  anything  she 
could  do  for  the  stranger. 

"  Don't  any  of  you  know  him  ?  "  inquired  Stineli. 
"  Why,  mother,  it  is  Rico." 

They  were  just  exclaiming  in  surprise  when  the 
father  came  in  to  breakfast.  Rico  advanced  to  shake 
hands  cordially,  but  the  man  looked  at  him  blankly 
and  said  :  "  Are  you  a  relative  ?  There  are  so  many 
I  may  not  know  them  all." 

"  Now  father  does  n't  know  him  either! "  exclaimed 
Stineli.  "  It  is  Rico,  papa." 

"Why,  Rico,  to  be  sure,"  the  father  said,  gazing 
at  him  from  head  to  foot.  "  You  look  prosperous, 
my  boy ;  I  suppose  you  have  learned  a  good  trade. 
Let  us  sit  down  to  breakfast,  and  then  you  must  tell 
us  about  yourself." 

When  Rico  noticed  that  the  grandmother  did  not 
come  to  breakfast,  he  asked  for  her.  It  was  the  father 
who  answered  that  they  had  buried  her  beside  the 
teacher  a  year  ago.  Rico  said  nothing,  for  the  news 
came  as  a  shock  to  him.  He  had  counted  upon  the 
pleasure  of  seeing  the  dear  old  lady  who  had  always 
shown  him  so  much  kindness. 

Rico  was  immediately  urged  to  tell  about  his  wan- 
derings and  how  he  happened  to  go  away.  He  began 
his  story  from  the  night  he  left,  but  he  spoke  in  detail 


OVER  THE  MOUNTAINS  99 

only  when  he  told  of  Mrs.  Menotti  and  of  Silvio's 
home.  This  led  him  easily  to  tell  them  the  object  of 
his  visit  to  the  hills,  and  to  beg  them  to  let  him  take 
Stineli  back  with  him  when  he  returned. 

Stineli  opened  her  eyes  wide  in  astonishment,  for 
she  had  not  even  dreamed  of  such  a  possibility.  How 
delightful  it  would  be  if  she  were  allowed  to  go  with 
Rico  to  that  beautiful  place  !  The  best  part  of  it,  of 
course,  would  be  to  have  him  with  her  or  near  her 
again,  and  how  she  would  love  Silvio  for  sending  Rico 
back  to  her !  Thoughts  like  these  kept  surging  through 
her  brain  while  the  father  was  considering  the  matter. 

"  It  would,  no  doubt,  be  a  good  thing  for  Stineli," 
he  said.  "  I  should  like  to  have  her  get  out  among 
people  and  learn  their  ways ;  but  there  is  no  use  to 
talk  about  it,  for  she  can't  be  spared.  We  could  let 
Trudt  go  just  as  well  as  not." 

"  Yes,"  agreed  the  mother  ;  "  I  could  n't  possibly 
get  along  without  Stineli.  I  am  willing,  that  Trudt 
should  go  if  she  wants  to." 

"Goody!  goody!  I  am  going  and  I  am  glad," 
and  Trudt  clapped  her  hands  and  danced  about. 

Stineli 's  face  had  clouded,  but  she  made  no  protest, 
preferring  to  have  Rico  say  what  was  needful. 

"It  so  happens,"  said  Rico,  calmly,  "that  Silvio 
wants  Stineli  and  no  one  else.  If  Trudt  went  down 
there,  he  would  only  send  her  away,  so  that  is  out  of 


100  LAKE  SILS  AND  LAKE  GARDA 

the  question.  Mrs.  Menotti  told  me  to  tell  you  that 
if  Stineli  got  along  well  with  Silvio,  she  could  send 
home  two  dollars  and  a  half  every  month.  I  am  just 
as  sure  that  Stineli  will  get  along  with  Silvio  as  if  I 
had  already  seen  them  together." 

Stineli 's  father  pushed  his  chair  away  from  the 
table  and  put  on  his  cap, — a  habit  of  his  whenever  he 
wished  to  think  seriously  about  anything.  The  money 
was  an  important  factor  to  him.  How  hard  he  had 
to  work  to  earn  a  dollar,  and  here  was  an  opportunity 
to  get  two  dollars  and  a  half  every  month  without  the 
least  effort  on  his  part !  It  was  not  long  before  he 
hung  up  his  cap  and  said  :  "  She  can  go  if  that  is  the 
case.  I  suppose  one  of  the  others  can  learn  to  do 
things  here." 

Stineli's  face  beamed,  but  the  mother  sighed  as 
she  realized  what  it  would  mean  to  her. 

In  a  moment  the  father  put  his  cap  on  again.  "  I 
had  forgotten,"  he  said,  "that  Stineli  has  not  been 
confirmed  ;  she  will  have  to  wait  until  after  that." 

"  But,  father,"  exclaimed  Stineli,  "  I  was  not 
planning  to  be  confirmed  for  two  years.  I  can  go 
now  and  come  back  when  the  two  years  are  over." 

This  plan  was  at  last  approved,  and  the  parents 
consoled  themselves  by  thinking  that  they  could  then 
keep  her  at  home  if  they  wished.  . 

"Just  as  soon  as  she  gets  back,  I  am  going,"  said 


OVER  THE  MOUNTAINS 


Trudf  They  all  laughed  at  this,  while  Rico  and 
Stineli  exchanged  glances  and  were  happy. 

"  Now,  Stineli,  I  want  to  tell  you  something,"  said 
the  father.  "  I  know  that  pandemonium  will  reign 
here  until  you  two  are  gone,  so  I  say  the  sooner  it 
is  accomplished  the  better ;  then  we  can  have  peace 
and  quiet."  It  was  accordingly  decided  that  they 
should  leave  the  following  Monday. 

Rico  realized  how  busy  a  day  Stineli  would  have, 
so  he  asked  Sam  to  accompany  him  about  Sils-Maria 
and  the  neighborhood.  They  stopped  first  of  all  to 
look  at  the  house  across  the  way,  that  had  at  one 
time  sheltered  Rico.  He  was  informed  that  strangers 
lived  there,  that  the  aunt  had  been  gone  several 
years,  and  that  no  one  knew  where  she  was. 

Wherever  Rico  and  Sam  went  that  day  they  failed 
to  find  a  single  person  who  recognized  the  "  foreign- 
looking  young  man,"  as  they  called  him.  On  their 
return  Rico  wished  to  visit  the  grandmother's  grave, 
but  they  could  not  find  it. 

It  was  evening  before  they  came  back  to  the  house, 
carrying  with  them  Rico's  luggage  from  the  station. 
They  found  Stineli  at  the  well,  scrubbing  the  pails 
used  about  the  barn.  "  I  can't  believe  yet  that  I  am 
going,  Rico,"  she  said  as  they  passed  her. 

"I  can,"  said  Rico;  "but  you  haven't  thought 
about  it  so  long  as  I  have." 


102  LAKE  SILS  AND  LAKE  GARDA 

Stineli  was  delighted  with  the  change  in  Rico. 
"  How  well  and  forcibly  he  speaks,"  she  thought. 
"He  was  timid  and  shy  before  he  went  away.  He 
seems  to  inspire  confidence,  and  he  looks  wonderfully 
strong  and  capable." 

A  bed  was  prepared  for  Rico  in  the  attic.  He  did 
not  unpack  his  lunch  until  the  following  morning, 
when  it  provided  a  real  feast  for  the  children.  The 
figs  were  a  novelty  to  them,  and  the  abundance  of 
good  things  assured  the  parents  that  Rico  was  among 
friends  in  the  valley.  They  had  no  further  fears 
about  letting  Stineli  go  with  him. 


CHAPTER  XVIII 
TWO   HAPPY  TRAVELERS 

The  return  trip  had  been  fully  explained  to  Rico, 
and  he  knew  that  they  must  leave  Sils  in  the  evening. 
Sam  was  going  with  Stineli  and  Rico  as  far  as  Sils  ; 
the  rest  of  the  family  gathered  about  the  door  and 
waved  farewell  to  them  until  they  were  lost  to  view. 

"If  grandmother  could  only  see  us  !  "  said  Stineli, 
as  they  neared  the  little  church.  "  Let  us  go  over 
to  her  grave  for  a  moment."  This  they  did,  for 
Stineli  knew  exactly  where  it  was. 

"  Are  the  two  children  here  who  are  to  go  to  Lake 
Garda?"  they  heard  the  coachman  say  as  soon  as 
he  arrived. 

Rico  and  Stineli  stepped  forward.  "All  right," 
said  the  man.  "  I  have  instructions  to  look  after  you. 
The  coach  happens  to  be  full  inside,  but  I  am  think- 
ing that  you  are  young  enough  to  like  it  up  here 
with  me."  He  helped  them  up,  tucked  a  large 
blanket  around  them  because  the  night  was  cool, 
and  then  the  stage  rolled  on. 

This  was  the  first  time  that  Rico  and  Stineli  had 
been  alone  since  he  came  back,  and  they  were  both 
103 


104  LAKE  SILS  AND  LAKE  GARDA 

glad  of  the  opportunity  to  sit  so  cozily  in  the  starry 
night  and  feel  again  the  sweet  companionship  that 
they  had  given  up  long  ago.  They  had  so  much  to 
say  that  they  slept  but  little  during  the  night.  They 
reached  Lake  Como  in  the  morning,  and  arrived  in 
Peschiera  on  the  same  train  that  had  carried  Rico 
when  he  came  before.  He  led  Stineli  by  a  round- 
about way  in  order  to  keep  the  view  of  the  lake  hidden 
by  the  trees  until  they  came  to  his  favorite  place  on 
the  bridge. 

Suddenly  it  burst  upon  them  in  all  its  beauty,  as 
Rico  had  often  wished  to  describe  it,  only  it  seemed 
much  more  beautiful  to  Rico  now  that  Stineli  was 
seeing  it,  too.  He  rejoiced  to  hear  her  say  presently, 
"Oh,  it  is  prettier  than  Lake  Sils  —  ever  so  much 
prettier." 

They  sat  down  on  the  bridge,  and  for  the  first  time 
Rico  spoke  to  Stineli  about  his  mother.  He  told  her 
how  well  he  remembered  her,  and  how  often  they 
had  been  together  on  this  bridge,  and  how  much 
they  had  cared  for  each  other. 

"  Then  your  home  must  have  been  here,"  said 
Stineli.  "  Where  did  you  go  when  you  left  the 
bridge  ?  Can't  you  remember  that  ?  " 

"  Yes,  I  know  just  where  we  went,  but  I  can't  find 
the  house.  Everything  is  just  as  it  used  to  be  until 
I  get  to  the  station  ;  I  never  saw  that  until  I  came 


106  LAKE  SILS  AND  LAKE  GARDA 

here  by  myself,  and  I  think  they  must  have  taken 
the  house  away." 

The  sun  was  low  in  the  heavens  before  they  left 
the  bridge.  Rico  was  secretly  rejoicing  over  the 
fact  that  their  coming  would  be  a  surprise,  for  they 
were  not  expected  for  a  week  and  here  they  were  at 
the  garden ! 

"What  a  lovely  place ! "  exclaimed  Stineli.  "What 
gorgeous  flowers !  " 

Silvio's  sharp  ears  heard  this  exclamation.  He 
pulled  himself  up  in  bed  and  called  to  his  mother, 
"  I  do  believe  that  Rico  has  come  with  Stineli." 

Mrs.  Menotti  hastily  ran  to  her  son,  fearing  that 
he  was  ill,  but  just  at  that  moment  Rico  appeared. 
How  glad  she  was  to  see  him  safely  back !  Her  sur- 
prise and  warm  welcome  were  more  than  Rico  had 
anticipated.  Before  Rico  had  time  to  present  Stineli 
the  girl  had  gone  directly  to  Silvio's  bed,  speaking 
to  him  so  kindly  that  he  put  his  arms  around  her 
neck  and  gave  her  the  greatest  hug  his  little  arms 
were  capable  of  giving.  Mrs.  Menotti  told  Rico  that 
she  was  more  than  satisfied  with  the  girl's  appearance, 
and  he  had  no  fears  about  her  conduct. 

Although  she  spoke  no  Italian,  Stineli  found  vari- 
ous ways  in  which  she  could  immediately  make  her- 
self useful.  The  Latin  words  she  had  learned  in 
school  helped  her,  and  she  tactfully  used  motions 


TWO  HAPPY  TRAVELERS  IO/ 

when  Rico  did  not  explain  for  her.  She  carried  the 
tray  with  Silvio's  supper  to  his  bed  and  cut  the  food 
for  him,  propping  him  up  comfortably  with  pillows 
before  she  joined  the  mother  and  Rico  in  the  dining 
room.  After  supper  Stineli  made  the  others  go  to 
Silvio  until  she  had  finished  the  work,  and  then  she 
joined  them. 

She  began  to  amuse  Silvio  with  a  little  gift  that 
she  had  brought  in  her  pocket  so  that  it  might  be 
convenient  when  she  wished  to  give  it  to  him.  It 
was  simply  a  number  of  wooden  figures,  with  faces 
and  dresses  gaily  painted  on  them,  and  put  together 
on  a  central  piece  so  that  they  would  dance  comically 
when  shaken  out.  This  was  Peter's  handiwork,  and 
it  afforded  Silvio  unceasing  amusement.  Stineli  also 
made  the  shapes  of  animals  with  her  hands,  and  let 
Silvio  watch  the  shadows  on  the  wall.  The  mother 
could  hear  him  say,  "  A  rabbit !  An  animal  with 
horns  !  A  long-legged  spider  !  " 

The  clock  struck  ten  before  they  thought  it  could 
possibly  be  so  late.  Rico  immediately  arose,  for  it 
was  his  usual  time  to  leave,  but  a  dark  cloud  seemed 
to  settle  on  his  face  as  he  said  good  night  and 
went  out. 

Stineli  noticed  that  something  was  wrong  with 
Rico,  so  she  followed  him  to  the  garden.  She  took 
his  hand  impulsively  and  said  :  "You  have  been  so 


108  LAKE  SILS  AND  LAKE  GARDA 

good  to  bring  me  here,  Rico,  that  I  shall  be  very 
sorry  if  you  are  not  going  to  be  happy.  You  can 
come  over  every  day ;  don't  you  think  we  can  be 
happy  ?  " 

"  Yes,  and  every  night,  no  matter  how  happy  we 
are  here,  I  have  to  go  away  and  remember  that  I 
don't  belong  to  anybody." 

"  But  you  must  not  think  that,  because  you  and  I 
have  always  belonged  to  each  other.  If  you  only 
knew  how  I  missed  you  all  those  long  years  that  you 
were  away !  Many  times  I  had  to  work  so  hard  that 
I  would  rather  not  have  lived  at  all,  but  I  used  to 
think  that  I  would  gladly  bear  it  if  I  could  just  see 
you  once  more.  Now  that  everything  has  turned  out 
so  beautifully,  I  am  sure  that  we  ought  to  be  happy." 

"  Really,  Stineli,  I  will  try,"  said  Rico,  and  the 
cloud  vanished  as  they  stood  with  clasped  hands  for 
a  moment  before  he  left  the  garden. 

Stineli  bade  Silvio  good  night  when  she  returned 
to  the  house,  but  he  grasped  her  hand  and  begged 
her  to  stay  with  him. 

"  Very  well,"  said  the  mother,  "  Stineli  may  stay, 
but  to-morrow  she  will  be  ill,  and  you  will  have  to  do 
without  her." 

"  Then  go  to  sleep  now,  but  come  early  in  the 
morning,"  said  the  boy. 

Mrs.  Menotti  had  prepared  a  cozy  room  upstairs 


TWO  HAPPY  TRAVELERS  109 

for  Stineli.  It  overlooked  the  garden,  and  the  out- 
door fragrance  greeted  them  as  they  entered.  The 
girl  went  to  sleep  feeling  assured  that  her  new  home 
would  prove  to  be  a  happy  one. 

At  first  Stineli  was  handicapped  in  her  new  sur- 
roundings by  her  ignorance  of  Italian,  but  it  was 
remarkable  how  well  she  and  Silvio  entertained  each 
other.  He  was  always  obedient  and  cheerful  in  her 
presence,  and  complained  of  loneliness  whenever  she 
was  gone.  Mrs.  Menotti  noticed  with  gratitude  how 
rapidly  her  son  was  gaining  in  strength.  He  enjoyed 
his  meals  more  than  ever  before,  for  Stineli  liked  to 
arrange  things  prettily,  and  to  plan  surprises  for  him 
on  his  tray.  Then,  too,  he  slept  better  and  longer 
than  had  been  his  custom. 

Stineli  was  tireless  in -her  efforts  to  please  the  sick 
child.  She  adapted  everything  at  hand  to  his  enter- 
tainment. Having  always  lived  with  children,  she 
understood  how  to  amuse  them.  In  a  remarkably 
short  time  she  had  learned  all  the  Italian  that  Silvio 
used.  She  soon  began  to  tell  him  stories,  although 
some  words  failed  her  and  others  came  with  painful 
slowness  for  a  time. 

Now  that  Mrs.  Menotti  was  freed  from  the  care  of 
Silvio,  she  formed  the  habit  of  going  to  meet  Rico 
when  she  saw  him  coming.  She  was  always  eager  to 
express  her  appreciation  of  Stineli. 


110  LAKE  SILS  AND  LAKE  GARDA 

"  I  had  n't  supposed  that  a  young  girl  could  be  so 
thoughtful,"  she  said  at  one  time.  "  She  does  things 
for  Silvio  from  morning  until  night  as  if  it  were  a 
real  pleasure  to  her,  and  she  knows  as  much  about 
housekeeping  as  a  woman.  I  feel  as  if  it  were 
Sunday  every  day."  Rico  never  tired  of  hearing 
Stineli  praised. 

Any  one  seeing  the  group  sitting  so  cozily  together 
when  Rico  was  there  would  have  taken  them  to  be 
a  very  happy  family,  and  so  they  were  until  the  hour 
arrived  for  Rico  to  leave  them.  His  face  darkened 
every  night  so  that  Stineli  was  worried,  but  Mrs. 
Menotti  was  too  much  absorbed  in  Silvio's  happiness 
to  notice  it. 


CHAPTER  XIX 
CLOUDS  AT  LAKE  GARDA 

One  evening  when  Rico  came,  he  said  that  he  could 
not  be  with  them  again  for  two  days,  as  he  must  go 
to  Riva  to  play  for  a  dance.  This  was  a  disappoint- 
ment to  them  all,  and  especially  to  Stineli.  "  I  hope 
the  weather  will  be  good,"  she  said  ;  "  then  you  will 
have  such  a  fine  sail  on  the  lake.  It  will  be  beautiful, 
too,  coming  back  in  the  moonlight." 

Everything  Rico  played  that  night  was  sad,  and  he 
failed,  in  spite  of  his  efforts,  to  shake  off  his  wretched- 
ness. Long  before  it  was  ten  o'clock  he  put  up  his 
violin  and  rose  to  go.  Mrs.  Menotti  urged  him  to 
stay,  but  she  did  not  notice  his  unhappy  face. 

11 1  will  go  with  Rico  for  a  little  way,"  said  Stineli. 

"  No,  no  ;  don't  go  away,  Stineli !  "  cried  Silvio. 

"  Stay  with  him,  Stineli;  never  mind  me,"  said  Rico, 
with  the  same  finality  with  which  he  had  said,  "There 
is  no  use  to  think  of  it,"  after  his  interview  with  the 
teacher,  when  he  had  found  out  the  price  of  a  violin. 

Stineli  whispered  to  Silvio,  "  Be  a  brave  little  boy, 
dearie,  and  don't  cry  for  me  ;  then  I  will  tell  you  ever 
so  many  stories  to-morrow."  As  usual  he  obeyed  her. 


112  LAKE  SILS  AND  LAKE  GARDA 

When  Rico  and  Stineli  came  to  the  garden  gate 
he  said :  "  Go  back,  Stineli ;  you  belong  there  and 
I  belong  to  the  street.  I  am  only  a  poor,  homeless 
orphan,  so  just  let  me  go  and  don't  worry." 

"  No,  no,  you  shall  not  leave  me  while  you  feel  in 
this  way.  Where  can  we  go  to  talk  a  little  while  ? " 

"  To  the  bridge,"  answered  Rico,  eagerly. 

They  walked  on  in  silence,  and  after  reaching  their 
favorite  place  on  the  bridge,  stood  listening  to  the 
splash  of  the  waves  below  them  until  Rico  said, 
"  Really,  Stineli,  if  it  were  not  for  you,  I  wouldn't 
stay  here  any  longer.  I  would  go  ever  so  far  away, 
it  would  make  little  difference  where,  since  there  is 
no  one  that  cares  for  me  and  I  shall  always  have  to 
live  in  hotels,  and  sleep  in  storerooms,  and  play  for 
dances  where  people  act  as  if  they  were  crazy.  Since 
I  have  seen  you  living  with  these  good  people,  I  have 
wished  that  my  mother  had  thrown  me  into  the  lake 
before  she  died,  so  that  I  need  not  have  come  to  be 
what  I  am." 

"  O  Rico,  how  dare  you  think  such  wicked  thoughts, 
much  less  express  them  !  It  must  be  that  you  have 
been  neglecting  the  Lord's  Prayer  or  you  would  not 
be  so  unhappy,"  said  Stineli. 

"  It  is  true,"  said  Rico  ;  "  I  have  not  said  it,  and  I 
am  sure  I  have  forgotten  it  altogether  by  this  time." 

"  But  how  dare  you  live  so  ?  "  asked  Stineli.   "  Just 


114  LAKE  SILS  AND  LAKE  GARDA 

think  how  grandmother  would  worry  about  you  if  she 
knew  that !  You  must  remember  how  she  said  to  us, 
'  The  one  that  forgets  to  pray  will  have  a  hard  time.' 
You  must  learn  the  prayer  again.  Let  us  sit  down 
here  and  I  will  teach  it  to  you." 

After  Stineli  had  repeated  the  prayer  twice  she 
said,  "  You  can  see  from  this  that  the  whole  king- 
dom belongs  to  God,  and  you  can  trust  Him  to  find 
a  home  for  you,  because  it  also  says  that  the  power 
is  His." 

"  If  He  has  a  home  for  me  in  His  kingdom  and 
has  the  power  to  give  it,  He  clearly  does  n't  want  to," 
retorted  Rico. 

"  Have  you  asked  Him  to  give  it  to  you  ?  " 

"No." 

"  Grandmother  said  that  we  must  ask  for  things 
we  want.  It  is  very  likely  that  He  thinks  you  can  ask 
Him  if  you  really  want  anything." 

After  a  moment's  silence  Rico  said,  "  Say  the 
prayer  once  more;  I  will  learn  it." 

In  a  short  time  they  were  walking  back  to  the  gar- 
den, where  they  parted  for  the  night.  On  the  way 
to  the  hotel  Rico  thought  of  the  kingdom  and  the 
power.  He  felt  convinced  that  he  had  neglected  a 
sacred  duty,  and  that  night,  in  his  cheerless  attic 
room,  he  knelt  by  his  bed  and  prayed. 

Stineli  meant  to  go  in  as  soon  as  Rico  left  her, 


CLOUDS  AT  LAKE  GARDA  115 

and  tell  Mrs.  Menotti  of  his  unhappiness,  hoping  that 
she  might  help  the  boy  to  find  some  more  suitable 
employment,  since  he  so  disliked  playing  for  dances, 
but  this  intention  was  not  carried  out,  for  Silvio  had 
been  taken  suddenly  ill  while  she  was  gone,  and  was 
lying  exhausted  on  his  pillow,  flushed  and  breathing 
heavily.  The  mother  sat  crying  softly  beside  him. 
Stineli  had  never  seen  him  ill  before,  and  she  stood 
wondering  what  she  should  do. 

Mrs.  Menotti  soon  noticed  her  presence  and  said  : 
"  Sit  down,  Stineli;  he  is  better  now,  and  I  should 
like  to  tell  you  about  something  that  troubles  me 
greatly.  You  are  young,  but  I  feel  sure  it  will  do  me 
good  to  have  you  know  about  it. 

"  When  Mr.  Menotti  and  I  were  first  married,  he 
brought  me  here  from  Riva,  where  my  father  is  still 
living.  An  old  friend  of  my  husband's  lived  here, 
but  he  wished  to  go  away  for  a  few  years,  because  his 
wife  had  died  and  he  found  it  too  hard  to  live  here 
without  her ;  he  wanted  us  to  live  on  his  place  while 
he  was  away.  He  had  a  little  house  and  a  large  farm 
of  not  especially  good  land,  but  since  Mr.  Menotti 
understood  perfectly  how  to  manage  a  farm,  it  was 
agreed  between  them,  as  intimate  friends,  that  there 
was  to  be  no  rent ;  we  were  simply  to  keep  everything 
in  good  condition  so  that  he  would  find  his  place  in 
order  when  he  returned. 


Il6  LAKE  SILS  AND  LAKE  GARDA 

"  A  few  years  later  the  railway  officials  decided  to 
build  on  the  land,  and  paid  much  more  than  it  was 
worth  to  get  it.  Mr.  Menotti  took  the  money,  and 
being  able  to  buy  much  better  land,  including  this 
garden,  he  built  this  house.  There  was  money  enough 
to  pay  for  it  all.  The  land  brought  rich  returns,  and 
we  prospered  to  such  an  extent  that  I  was  worried, 
for  it  did  not  belong  to  us.  Mr.  Menotti  was  happy 
over  it  because  he  had  such  a  pleasant  surprise  for 
his  friend,  to  whom  he  meant  to  turn  it  all  over  as 
soon  as  he  returned  ;  but  he  never  came. 

"  As  Silvio  grew  older,  and  I  saw  how  weak  he 
was,  I  feared  that  his  illness  might  be  sent  as  a  pun- 
ishment to  us  for  living  upon  the  profits  of  another's 
money,  and  I  have  felt  the  same  to-night.  Mr.  Me- 
notti died  four  years  ago.  I  am  sure  I  would  gladly 
give  things  over  to  the  rightful  owner,  if  I  could,  but 
I  don't  know  where  to  find  him.  The  man  may  be 
sick  somewhere,  or  in  need,  and  it  worries  me  beyond 
measure." 

"  I  think  you  have  no  reason  to  worry,  since  you 
have  done  the  best  you  could,"  said  Stineli.  "  My 
grandmother  taught  me  to  ask  God  to  make  things 
right,  if  it  was  beyond  my  own  power. 

"/am  worried  about  Rico,"  Stineli  continued, 
"and  I  can  do  nothing  for  him,  so  I  have  asked  God 
to  help  him,  and  Rico  has  promised  that  he  will  do 


CLOUDS  AT  LAKE  GARDA  117 

his  part.  I  feel  sure  that  this  burden  can  be  lifted 
from  you  in  the  same  way,  if  you  will  only  ask  Him 
to  make  it  right  in  His  sight.  My  grandmother  has 
taught  me  that  we  are  all  governed  in  harmony  by 
the  Creator  so  long  as  we  seek  the  divine  will.  It  is 
like  a  great  chorus  in  which  every  member  sings  in 
tune  because  he  is  governed  by  the  harmony  of  music, 
and  so  I  always  try  to  put  myself  back  where  I  belong, 
when  I  feel  any  discord.  I  have  never  been  disap- 
pointed in  trusting  God  with  the  results." 

"  You  are  a  wise  girl,  Stineli,  and  you  have  truly 
comforted  me,"  said  Mrs.  Menotti,  as  she  kissed 
Stineli  and  bade  her  good  night. 


CHAPTER  XX 

AT  HOME 

A  glorious  day  dawned  upon  Peschiera  the  next 
morning,  and  Mrs.  Menotti  hurried  to  the  garden  to 
enjoy  it  more  fully.  She  took  her  accustomed  seat 
on  a  rustic  bench  near  the  gate  and  looked  about  her 
with  appreciative  eyes.  The  oleander  bushes  were  in 
full  bloom  beside  her,  behind  her  was  the  hedge  to 
screen  the  garden  from  the  street,  and  yonder  were 
the  loaded  fig  trees,  while  near  by  were  the  grapevines, 
dotted  with  clusters  of  ripe  fruit. 

"  I  realize,"  she  said  to  herself,  "  that  I  shall  never 
find  so  pretty  a  home  again." 

Just  at  this  moment  Rico  opened  the  gate.  He  had 
not  been  able  to  let  the  beautiful  morning  pass  with- 
out seeing  his  friends,  as  he  was  obliged  to  go  to 
Riva  a  little  later.  He  had  not  noticed  Mrs.  Menotti, 
and  was  going  directly  to  the  house  when  she  called 
to  him. 

"  I  want  you  to  sit  here  with  me  for  a  few  mo- 
ments, Rico,  if  you  will.    What  a  fine  day  this  prom- 
ises to  be !    I  have  just  been  wondering  how  long  I 
may  still  be  here  to  enjoy  it." 
118 


AT  HOME  119 


"  You  alarm  me,  Mrs.  Menotti.  You  are  not  think- 
ing of  going  away  ?  " 

"  I  beg  your  pardon,  Rico,  for  speaking  so  thought- 
lessly ;  I  should  not  have  mentioned  it."  She  changed 
the  subject,  and  presently,  recalling  what  Stineli  had 
told  her  the  previous  evening  about  Rico's  trouble, 
she  began  to  wonder  what  it  could  be.  She  had  been 
so  absorbed  in  her  own  affairs  at  the  time  that  she 
had  given  it  but  a  moment's  thought. 

"  Won't  you  tell  me,  Rico,  why  you  came  to  Lake 
Garda  ?  Stineli  told  me  last  evening  that  you  used  to 
long  to  come  here.  Were  you  ever  here  before  ?  " 

"  Yes,  when  I  was  a  child,  but  I  was  taken  away." 

"How  did  you  happen  to  come  here  as  a  child  ? " 

"  I  came  into  the  world  here." 

"  You  were  born  here  ?  Who  was  your  father,  and 
why  did  he  come  here  from  the  mountains  ?  " 

"He  wasn't  from  the  mountains  ;  it  was  my  mother 
who  lived  there." 

"  Why,  Rico,  your  father  was  not  a  Peschieran  ?  " 

"  He  surely  was,  Mrs.  Menotti ;  this  was  his  home." 

"How  very  strange  !  And  you  never  have  told  me 
this  in  all  these  years  !  Feeling  that  you  did  not  care 
to  talk  of  your  earlier  life,  I  have  never  asked  you  to 
tell  me  your  last  name.  But  "  Rico  "  is  not  Italian. 
What  was  your  father  called  ?  " 

"  The  same  as  I,  Enrico  Trevillo." 


LAKE  SILS  AND  LAKE  GARDA 


Mrs.  Menotti  sprang  from  the  seat  as  if  she  had 
been  struck.  "  What  are  you  saying  ?  "  she  exclaimed. 
"  What  did  you  say  just  now  ?  " 

"My  father's  name,"  said  Rico.  "Why,  what  is 
the  matter  ?  " 

Mrs.  Menotti  did  not  stay  to  answer  him.  She  ran 
to  the  house  and  hastily  said  to  Stineli :  "  Get  me  a 
wrap,  please.  I  must  go  over  to  see  the  pastor,  but 
I  will  be  back  soon  and  explain." 

Stineli,  much  astonished,  put  a  cape  around  the 
trembling  form. 

"  Come  with  me,  Rico,  for  I  want  to  ask  a  few 
questions,"  said  Mrs.  Menotti,  but  she  was  so  agitated 
that  she  could  think  of  nothing  to  ask  except  if  he 
were  sure  that  Enrico  Trevillo  was  his  father.  Rico 
returned  to  the  house  after  leaving  Mrs.  Menotti  with 
the  pastor.  Stineli  and  Silvio  were  laughing  over  a 
funny  story  when  he  arrived.  As  soon  as  Silvio  saw 
the  violin  he  shouted,  "  Let  us  sing  '  Little  Lambs  ' 
with  Stineli,  because  Rico  is  here  to  play." 

Rico  had  learned  a  great  number  of  new  songs,  so 
that  Stineli  had  nearly  forgotten  all  about  "  her  song." 
She  had  not  heard  it  since  they  sang  it  for  the  grand- 
mother the  evening  they  had  composed  it.  It  aston- 
ished her  to  find  that  Silvio  knew  anything  about  it. 
How  was  she  to  know  that  Rico  had  been  singing 
that  song  time  after  time,  before  he  knew  any  others  ? 


122  LAKE  SILS  AND  LAKE  GARDA 

She  gladly  consented  to  sing  it  with  Rico.  To  her 
great  surprise  Silvio  began  singing  with  them.  To 
be  sure,  he  did  not  know  the  meaning  of  a  word  he 
was  saying,  but  he  remembered  the  sounds  from 
having  heard  them  so  often.  He  gave  the  words  such 
a  funny  pronunciation  that  Stineli  had  to  laugh. 
Silvio  laughed  because  she  laughed  ;  then  Rico  could 
not  help  laughing,  and  so  the  song  waited.  They 
began  again  time  after  time,  only  to  stop  as  before, 
and  when  Mrs.  Menotti  returned,  she  found  them  all 
still  laughing  and  trying  to  sing. 

She  had  been  making  a  strong  effort  to  adjust 
herself  to  the  new  order  of  things  which  the  eventful 
morning  had  brought  about.  She  crossed  the  garden 
hastily  and  came  in  where  the  children  were.  The 
laughter  hushed  as  she  sank  exhausted  into  a  chair, 
and  they  gazed  at  her  in  astonishment. 

"  Rico,"  she  said,  as  soon  as  she  had  gathered  a 
little  composure,  "  I  have  just  found  out  from  the 
pastor  that  this  home  —  the  house,  garden,  farm, 
and  everything  —  is  yours.  It  is  your  inheritance 
from  your  father  and  belongs  to  you.  Your  name  is 
recorded  in  the  baptismal  record  of  the  church  ;  you 
are  the  son  of  Enrico  Trevillo,  who  was  my  husband's 
most  intimate  friend." 

Stineli  had  almost  from  the  first  grasped  the 
meaning  of  it  all,  and  it  gave  her  an  unspeakable 


AT  HOME  123 


happiness.  Her  face  was  radiant,  and  Mrs.  Menotti 
thought,  "  How  beautiful  the  girl  looks  !  " 

Rico  sat  staring  at  the  mother,  speechless  and 
bewildered.  Silvio  shouted,  "All  of  a  sudden  the 
house  belongs  to  Rico ;  where  shall  he  sleep  ? " 

"  Where,  Silvio  ?  "  repeated  the  mother.  "  In  all 
the  rooms,  if  he  chooses.  He  can  turn  us  out  on  the 
street  at  once  if  he  likes." 

"  Then  I  should  certainly  go  out  on  the  street  with 
you,"  said  Rico. 

"  Oh,  you  good  Rico !  We  will  gladly  stay  if  it 
will  give  you  pleasure.  I  was  thinking  on  the  way 
home  of  how  we  could  arrange  it  if  you  should  wish 
to  have  us  here.  I  could  buy  a  half  interest  in  the 
place,  and  then  one  half  would  belong  to  you  and  one 
half  to  Silvio." 

"Then  I  will  give  my  half  to  Stineli,"  declared 
Silvio. 

"  And  I  my  half  too,"  said  Rico. 

"  Hurrah !  now  everything  belongs  to  Stineli," 
shouted  Silvio,  gleefully.  "  The  garden,  the  house, 
and  everything  in  it  —  the  chairs,  the  table,  the  violin, 
and  you  and  I  too  are  hers.  Now  let 's  sing  again  !  " 

Rico,  in  the  meantime,  had  been  thinking,  and 
now  hesitatingly  asked,  "  How  can  it  be  that  Silvio's 
father's  house  belongs  to  me,  even  if  he  was  my 
father's  best  friend  ?  " 


124  LAKE  SILS  AND  LAKE  GARDA 

This  reminded  Mrs.  Menotti  that  as  yet  Rico  knew 
none  of  the  circumstances  leading  up  to  her  discovery, 
so  she  began  from  the  beginning  and  related  the 
events  in  the  proper  order.  When  she  finished,  there 
was  a  grand  jubilee  among  the  children,  because  they 
realized  that  there  was  nothing  to  hinder  Rico's 
coming  to  live  with  them  immediately. 

After  the  commotion  had  somewhat  subsided,  Rico 
said  to  Mrs.  Menotti :  "  You  must  let  nothing  here 
be  changed  because  this  good  fortune  has  come  to 
me.  I  will  simply  come  and  live  with  you,  and  we 
shall  all  be  at  home,  and  you  can  be  our  mother." 

"O  Rico,  to  think  it  should  be  you  of  all  people !  "ex- 
claimed Mrs.  Menotti.  "How  well  Stineli  has  advised 
us  to  let  our  troubles  be  made  right,  and  how  soon  the 
answer  came !  I  gladly  give  the  property  over  to  you, 
and  I  gladly  remain  here,  too.  I  will  be  a  true  mother 
to  you,  Rico,  for  I  have  long  loved  you  as  an  own  son. 
You  and  Stineli  must  call  me  mother  after  this.  We 
shall  be  the  happiest  family  in  all  Peschiera." 

"  Now  we  must  finish  our  song,"  burst  out  Silvio, 
who  felt  so  happy  that  his  feelings  needed  an  outlet. 
Rico  and  Stineli  were  no  less  jubilant,  and  they  sang 
merrily. 

Rico  was  about  to  put  up  his  violin,  when  Stineli 
said,  "  I  should  like  to  stop  with  a  different  song, 
Rico  ;  can  you  guess  which  one  ?  " 


AT  HOME  125 


"  Yes,  I  can."  Then  they  sang  in  gratitude  to 
God  and  in  sweet  memory  of  the  dear  old  grand- 
mother who  taught  it  to  them  : 

"  He  never  will  refuse  His  aid 
If  you  a  prayer  will  send  ; 
Whatever  in  His  care  is  laid 
Shall  have  a  happy  end. 

Then  let  the  blessing  onward  go, 

And  cause  it  not  to  stay, 
That  you  may  rest  in  peace  below 

And  happy  be  alway." 

It  is  needless  to  say  that  Rico  did  not  go  to  Riva 
that  day.  The  situation  was  immediately  explained 
to  the  hotel  people,  so  that  they  could  hire  a  substi- 
tute to  play  for  the  dance.  How  glad  Rico  was  to  be 
excused  they  could  scarcely  imagine. 

The  landlady  received  the  information  with  the 
greatest  astonishment.  She  hastily  called  her  husband 
and  told  him  the  news.  Later  she  congratulated  Rico 
and  said  to  him  that  she  heartily  wished  for  God's 
blessing  upon  his  home.  Not  in  the  least  did  she 
begrudge  him  his  good  fortune.  She  had  really  grown 
very  fond  of  him,  and  her  pleasure  was  genuine.  For 
some  time  the  people  of  the  hotel  Three  Crosses 
had  been  making  Rico  liberal  offers  to  come  to  live 
with  them,  and  she  was  relieved  that  now  this  could 
not  happen.  Her  husband  was  glad  for  Rico,  because 


126  LAKE  SILS  AND  LAKE  GARDA 

he  had  known  the  father  well ;  he  wondered  now  that 
he  had  never  noticed  the  striking  resemblance  between 
father  and  son. 

Rico  left  word  to  have  his  belongings  sent  over  to 
his  house  the  next  day,  and  then  bade  them  a  friendly 
farewell. 

"  We  want  you  to  give  us  your  orders  for  all  the 
entertaining  you  may  do  in  the  future,"  the  landlady 
said,  as  he  was  about  to  leave.  Rico  thanked  them  in 
his  usual  quiet  fashion  and  departed. 

Before  night  nearly  all  Peschiera  had  heard  of 
Rico's  good  fortune.  He  was  a  favorite  in  town,  and 
the  news  caused  much  rejoicing. 

Mrs.  Menotti  spared  no  pains  to  make  Rico  com- 
fortable in  his  new  home.  The  large  front  room 
upstairs  was  prepared  for  his  special  use.  After  every- 
thing had  been  arranged  to  her  satisfaction,  she  went 
to  gather  some  flowers  as  a  finishing  touch,  and  she 
had  just  placed  them  on  the  table  when  she  heard 
Rico  coming. 

"  Mrs.  Menotti  has  your  room  ready,  and  she  is 
upstairs,"  said  Stineli.  "  Won't  you  go  up  to  see 
it  now  ? " 

Rico  expected  to  see  a  pleasant  room,  but  he  was 
not  prepared  to  find  the  artistic  effect  which  held 
him  spellbound  as  he  reached  the  threshold.  Mrs. 
Menotti  understood  his  nature  so  well  that  she  knew 


AT  HOME  127 


what  he  would  like,  and  she  had  arranged  every 
detail  herself.  She  met  him  at  the  door,  and  taking 
his  hand,  led  him  to  the  windows  overlooking  the 
lake.  Rico  wished  to  express  his  gratitude,  but  he 
could  only  murmur,  "  I  am  so  glad  to  be  at  home." 

In  the  sitting  room  downstairs,  where  the  doors 
opened  so  pleasantly  into  the  garden,  the  family,  after 
Rico  had  come  to  stay,  spent  the  most  delightful 
evenings  imaginable.  Ten  o'clock  no  longer  brought 
sadness  to  the  happy  circle,  and  the  months  slipped 
by  quite  unheeded. 

Rico  was  now  supposed  to  manage  his  business, 
and  he  usually  spent  the  days  in  the  field  and  garden 
with  his  foreman.  The  first  day  they  were  out  to- 
gether the  foreman  thought,  "  I  know  more  than 
my  master,"  but  that  evening,  when  the  soul-inspiring 
strains  of  the  violin  and  voice  came  floating  out  to 
him  across  the  garden,  he  thought,  "  My  master 
does  know  more  than  I  "  ;  and  thereafter  he  had  a 
profound  respect  for  Rico. 


CHAPTER  XXI 

SUNSHINE  AT  LAKE  GARDA 

Two  years  had  passed  since  Rico  had  come  to  his 
home,  and  it  seemed  to  them  all  that  every  day  was 
filled  with  more  pleasure  than  the  preceding  one. 
Stineli  knew  that  the  time  was  at  hand  when  she 
ought  to  go  home,  and  it  made  her  sad  whenever 
she  thought  of  it.  There  was  the  possibility  that  she 
might  not  be  allowed  to  come  back,  and  she  could 
think  of  nothing  worse  than  that.  Rico,  too,  began 
to  be  unhappy  about  it,  for  he  had  promised  that  she 
should  go  back  to  be  confirmed.  It  seemed  to  be 
his  duty  to  let  her  go,  and  though  he  put  it  off  from 
day  to  day,  it  weighed  upon  his  mind  to  such  an 
extent  that  he  scarcely  spoke  except  when  it  was 
necessary. 

Mrs.  Menotti  saw  that  something  was  wrong,  and 
inquired  into  the  cause  ;  she  had  long  ago  forgotten 
that  Stineli  would  ever  have  to  leave  them.  When 
they  told  her  she  said,  "  Stineli  is  still  very  young ; 
it  will  be  just  as  well  to  wait  until  she  is  older  "  ;  so 
they  had  one  more  year  of  undisturbed  pleasure. 

One  day,  about  a  year  later,  a  message  came  from 
128 


SUNSHINE  AT  LAKE  GARDA  129 

Bergamo,  saying  that  some  one  was  there  who  was 
to  take  Stineli  back  with  him.  There  was  no  way 
out  of  it  now,  so  the  preparations  for  the  journey 
began.  Silvio  cried  and  cried  because  his  Stineli 
was  going  away. 

"You  must  be  sure  to  come  back,"  said  Mrs. 
Menotti.  "  Promise  your  father  anything  he  wants 
if  he  will  only  let  you  come." 

Rico  said  scarcely  a  word  when  Stineli  went,  but 
it  seemed  to  him  that  she  took  all  the  sunshine  in 
the  world  away  with  her.  The  clouds  remained  from 
November  to  the  following  Easter.  The  days  had 
dragged  along  in  monotonous  fashion,  with  the  zest 
of  life  completely  gone. 

Now  it  was  Easter  Sunday.  The  festivities  of  the 
day  were  over,  the  garden  was  one  mass  of  bloom, 
and  the  fields  gave  promise  of  a  bountiful  harvest. 
It  ought  to  have  made  everybody  happy,  yet  here 
was  Rico,  sitting  with  Silvio  in  the  midst  of  all  this 
luxury  and  beauty,  playing  the  most  melancholy  tunes 
he  could  think  of.  To  be  sure  they  suited  Rico's 
mood,  but  they  depressed  Silvio  and  made  him 
extremely  fretful.  Suddenly  they  heard,  "  Rico, 
have  n't  you  a  more  cheerful  welcome  ?  " 

Silvio  screamed  for  joy.  Rico  threw  the  violin  on 
the  bed  and  rushed  out.  Mrs.  Menotti  came  in  from 
an  adjoining  room  to  see  what  had  happened.  There 


130  LAKE  SILS  AND  LAKE  GARDA 

.on.  the  threshold  stood  Stineli.  The  sunshine  was 
back  again.  She  had  not  had  the  slightest  notion  of 
the  hearty  welcome  that  awaited  her  return.  In  fact, 
the  others  had  not  realized  how  necessary  she  was 
to  their  happiness  until  she  was  gone.  They  gathered 
about  Silvio's  bed  as  usual,  and  they  asked  questions 
and  answered  them  and  rejoiced  that  the  days  of 
separation  were  over. 

A  few  years  later  something  came  about  so  natu- 
rally that  it  seemed  as  if  it  could  not  have  been 
otherwise.  One  lovely  day, in  May  —  as  fine  a  day 
as  Peschiera  had  ever  seen  —  a  long  wedding  proces- 
sion moved  from  the  church  to  the  Golden  Sun.  The 
tall,  handsome  Rico  was  at  the  head,  and  by  his  side, 
with  a  wreath  of  roses  on  her  fair  brow,  was  the 
beautiful  Stineli.  Next  came  Silvio,  in  a  softly  up- 
holstered cart  drawn  by  two  Peschiera  boys.  Next 
in  line  was  the  mother,  in  her  rustling  festive  attire, 
looking  somewhat  pale  and  tired.  The  flower  girls 
who  came  next  were  almost  hidden  in  the  roses  they 
carried ;  following  them  came  the  guests,  and  it 
seemed  from  their  number  that  all  Peschiera  must 
have  turned  out  to  do  honor  to  the  young  bride  and 
bridegroom^ 

The  pride  of  the  landlady  of  the  Golden  Sun, 
when  she  saw  the  processsion  coming,  can  be  better 
imagined  than  described.  Ever  after,  when  anybody 


SUNSHINE  AT  LAKE  GARDA      131 

told  about  a  wedding,  she  would  say  scornfully, 
"  That  is  nothing  compared  to  Rico's  wedding  at 
the  Golden  Sun." 

The  loyal  Peschierans  rejoiced  that  Rico  was  to 
make  his  home  among  them.  The  sunshine  never 
again  left  him,  and  the  home  nestled  in  the  beautiful 
garden  was  always  a  happy  one.  Stineli  never  let  the 
Lord's  Prayer  be  forgotten,  and  the  grandmother's 
song  could  be  heard  every  Sunday  night. 


WISELI   FINDS   HER  PLACE 

CHAPTER  I 

COASTING 

Directly  opposite  the  city  of  Bern  lies  a  small 
village  beautifully  situated  on  a  hill.  I  cannot  tell 
you  what  it  is  called,  but  I  will  describe  it  to  you  so 
that  you  may  know  it  if  you  are  ever  there.  On  the 
summit  of  the  hill  there  is  but  one  house  ;  it  is  sur- 
rounded by  a  flower  garden,  which  meets  on  each  side 
of  the  house  the  stretch  of  lawn  at  the  front.  This 
residence  is  called  The  Hill,  and  is  the  home  of 
Colonel  Ritter.  A  short  distance  down  the  hill,  on  a 
level  stretch  of  ground,  stands  the  church,  with  the 
parsonage  beside  it.  This  is  where  Mrs.  Ritter  spent 
her  happy  girlhood  as  the  pastor's  daughter.  Still 
farther  down,  amid  a  group  of  houses,  is  the  school- 
house.  On  the  left  of  these,  all  by  itself,  stands  an 
attractive  little  house  with  a  garden.  In  the  front 
lawn  are  placed  some  flower  beds  containing  roses, 
carnations,  and  mignonette.  The  asparagus  beds  at 
the  sides  of  the  house  are  screened  from  the  front 


134  WISELI  FINDS  HER  PLACE 

by  a  low  raspberry  hedge.  The  whole  place  presents 
a  well-kept  appearance.  The  road  goes  on  down  the 
hill  to  the  main  road  that  follows  along  the  Aar  River 
to  the  open  country. 

This  long,  sloping  hill  provided  excellent  coasting 
during  the  winter.  The  distance  from  the  top  of  the 
hill  to  the  Aar  road  below  made  a  continuous  coast 
of  about  ten  minutes'  duration.  This  incomparable 
sledge  course  gave  to  the  children  of  the  village  the 
greatest  pleasure  of  the  year.  No  sooner  was  school 
dismissed  than  they  ran  for  their  sleds  and  hurried 
up  the  hill.  The  hours  passed  like  minutes,  so  that 
six  o'clock,  the  time  when  they  were  expected  at 
home,  came  much  too  soon.  The  closing  scene  on 
the  hill  was  usually  an  interesting  one,  for  they  always 
wanted  to  go  down  once  more  before  they  broke  up 
for  the  night,  and  then  once  again,  and  after  that 
just  one  single  time  more,  so  that  it  might  be  inferred 
from  their  excited  haste  that  their  lives  depended 
upon  making  as  many  trips  as  possible. 

They  were  usually  governed  by  a  wise  rule  that 
compelled  them  all  to  ride  down  and  return  in  the 
same  order,  so  as  to  avoid  the  possibility  of  collision 
and  confusion  ;  but  the  rule  was  occasionally  disre- 
garded, when  the  final  excitement  swayed  them.  This 
happened  to  be  the  case  on  a  bright  January  night, 
when  the  intense  cold  made  the  snow  crackle  as  it 


COASTING  135 


was  crunched  under  the  feet  of  the  children,  who 
came  panting  up  the  hill,  drawing  their  sleds  after 
them,  their  faces  glowing  from  their  exertions.  The 
boys  were  shouting,  "  Once  more  !  once  more  !  "  as 
they  turned  their  sleds  and  fell  into  line. 

Now  it  happened  that  three  of  the  boys  claimed 
the  same  place  in  the  file,  and  not  one  was  willing 
to  go  behind  the  others.  During  the  dispute  two  of 
them  crowded  the  big  boy  Chappi  to  one  side  into 
the  snow,  where  his  heavy  sled  sank  into  the  drift. 
This  made  him  angry,  for  it  gave  the  others  the 
opportunity  to  get  ahead  of  him.  In  glancing  back 
he  noticed  a  little  girl  standing  near,  watching  him  ; 
she  had  wrapped  her  hands  in  her  apron  to  keep 
them  warm,  but  she  was  shivering  in  her  thin  dress. 

"  Can't  you  get  out  of  the  way,  you  ragged  thing  ? " 
he  cried  angrily.  "What  business  have  you  here 
anyway,  since  you  have  no  sled  ?  I  '11  teach  you  how 
to  get  away." 

He  kicked  a  cloud  of  snow  at  her  and  was  just 
ready  to  repeat  it  when  some  one  behind  him  gave 
him  a  fierce  blow.  In  great  rage  he  doubled  up  his 
fist  and  turned  savagely  to  attack  his  unknown  foe. 

It  was  Otto  Ritter,  who  had  just  placed  his  sled 
in  line  and  who  now  stood  looking  calmly  at  Chappi's 
clenched  fist  and  raised  arm.  "  Strike  if  you  dare," 
was  all  he  said. 


136  WISELI  FINDS  HER  PLACE 

Otto  was  a  tall,  slender  boy,  not  nearly  so  stout  as 
Chappi,  but  he  had  already  proved,  in  previous  en- 
counters, that  he  possessed  a  skill  in  handling  him- 
self against  which  Chappi's  weight  counted  for  little. 
Chappi  was  too  wise  to  strike,  but  he  shook  his  fist 
in  the  air  and  snarled,  "  Clear  out !  I  don't  care  to 
have  anything  to  do  with  you." 

"  But  I  have  something  to  do  with  you,"  retorted 
Otto.  "  What  business  have  you  to  drive  Wiseli  into 
the  drift  and  then  pelt  her  with  snow  besides  ?  You 
are  a  coward  to  attack  a  defenseless  child." 

Otto  disdainfully  turned  his  back  upon  Chappi  and 
went  toward  the  girl,  who  was  standing  knee-deep  in 
the  snowdrift.  "  Come  out  of  the  snow,  Wiseli,"  he 
said  gently.  "Is  it  true  that  you  have  no  sled  ?  " 

"  I  was  only  looking  at  the  rest,"  she  answered 
timidly. 

"Take  mine  and  go  down  once,"  said  Otto. 
"  Hurry,  for  they  are  going  to  start  in  a  minute." 

Wiseli  glanced  quickly  at  Chappi,  afraid  that  he 
would  interfere  with  her  going,  but  the  boy  seemed 
to  have  forgotten  all  about  her.  Otto  helped  her  to 
seat  herself  on  the  sled,  and  the  next  minute  she  was 
going  down  the  hill  behind  the  others. 

Wiseli  had  watched  them  for  ten  or  fifteen  min- 
utes, and  had  secretly  wished  that  she  might  be  allowed 
to  sit  on  one  of  the  large  sleds  used  to  carry  several 


COASTING  137 


at  a  time,  but  to  go  down  alone  was  more  than  she 
had  even  hoped  for ;  besides,  this  was  the  prettiest 
sled  of  all.  It  had  a  lion's  head  for  the  front  decora- 
tion, and  was  finished  with  steel  runners  and  made 
of  light  material  so  that  it  beat  all  the  others  in  a  race. 

It  seemed  to  Otto  but  a  moment  before  the  party 
returned,  so  he  shouted,  "  Stay  in  line,  Wiseli,  and 
go  down  once  more." 

Wiseli  immediately  turned  her  sled  and  gladly  led 
the  line  down  the  hill.  She  murmured  timid  thanks 
to  Otto  when  she  returned  with  the  sled,  but  the 
happy,  flushed  face  would  have  satisfied  him  even 
if  she  had  said  nothing.  She  heard  Otto  calling  his 
sister  as  she  started  homeward  through  the  panting 
crowd. 

"Here  I  ami"  and  a  plump,  rosy-cheeked  little 
girl  came  to  him  with  her  sled.  Otto  took  his  sister's 
warm  little  hand  in  his  and  they  hastened  home. 
They  had  spent  much  more  than  the  allotted  time 
to-night,  but  they  had  enjoyed  themselves  too  much 
to  entertain  any  regrets  whatever. 


CHAPTER  II 

THE  HOME  ON  THE  HILL 

As  Otto  and  his  sister  rushed  into  the  long  hall 
with  its  stone  floor,  they  were  met  by  Trina,  an  old 
and  faithful  servant,  who  held  the  lamp  she  was  car- 
rying high  above  her  head  to  avoid  getting  the  light 
in  her  eyes. 

"  You  are  here  at  last,"  she  said  half  impatiently 
and  half  indulgently.  "  Your  mother  has  been  want- 
ing you,  and  we  have  all  waited  for  you  until  long 
after  supper  time." 

Trina  had  been  in  the  family  before  the  children 
were  born,  and  she  exercised  the  same  authority  over 
them  as  did  the  parents,  while  she  was  even  more 
indulgent.  In  fact,  she  idolized  them  both ;  but  for 
their  good,  according  to  her  views,  she  did  not  wish 
them  to  be  too  sure  of  it.  Consequently  she  was  al- 
ways trying  to  be  somewhat  gruff  for  their  especial 
benefit. 

"  Out  of  your  shoes  and  into  your  slippers!"  she 
commanded.  She  put  the  light  down,  and  kneeling 
before  Otto  she  unfastened  his  shoes  and  put  the  dry 
slippers  on  his  feet.  In  the  meantime  she  was  urging 


THE  HOME  ON  THE  HILL  139 

the  little  sister  to  begin  removing  her  wet  shoes, 
but  Miezi  stood  listening  intently  to  something  she 
thought  she  heard  from  the  living  room. 

"  Well,"  said  Trina,  "  are  you  going  to  wait  until 
next  summer  ?  Your  shoes  will  be  dry  before  then." 

"  Hush  !  "  warned  Miezi  with  upraised  hand  ;  "  I 
heard  something.  Who  is  in  the  other  room,  Trina  ?  " 

"  Only  people  with  dry  shoes  are  going  in  there," 
said  Trina,  still  kneeling  before  Otto. 

Just  then  Miezi  gave  a  startled  exclamation. 
"  There,  I  heard  it  again  !  It  is  Uncle  Max's  laugh, 
I  am  sure." 

"What!  "  exclaimed  Otto,  and  both  children  rushed 
for  the  living  room  door.  "  Let  me  go  in  first,  Otto ; 
I  heard  him  first !  "  cried  Miezi,  endeavoring  to  push 
herself  ahead  of  him  ;  but  Trina  picked  her  up  in 
her  arms  and  carried  her  to  the  hall  seat,  where  the 
old  servant  had  a  hard  time  trying  to  get  the  wet 
shoes  from  the  impatient  feet.  The  moment  the  girl 
was  released  she  bounded  into  the  living  room  and 
into  Uncle  Max's  arms,  for  it  was  really  he,  sitting  in 
the  large  armchair,  looking  as  happy  and  prosperous 
as  ever. 

The  children  quite  worshiped  Uncle  Max.  He  was 
their  especial  friend,  from  whom  they  had  no  secrets. 
His  travels  kept  him  away  much  of  the  time,  and  they 
seldom  saw  him  more  than  once  a  year,  but  this  seemed 


140  WISELI   FINDS  HER  PLACE 

to  make  his  visits  the  more  appreciated,  especially  as 
he  always  brought  them  remembrances  from  the  re- 
motest parts  of  the  world.  Each  time  he  came  seemed 
a  holiday  to  the  children. 

To-night  they  were  hurried  to  the  table,  where  a 
steaming  supper  awaited  them.  The  children's  excite- 
ment over  the  uncle's  coming  abated  somewhat  before 
this  enjoyment,  for  coasting  always  brought  sharpened 
appetites.  Miezi  was  industriously  engaged  with  her 
soup  when  her  father  said  :  "I  think  my  little  girl 
has  forgotten  her  papa  to-night.  I  missed  my  usual 
kiss  and  handshake." 

Miezi  instantly  let  her  spoon  drop  and  pushed  her 
chair  back  to  run  to  the  neglected  parent,  but  he 
stopped  her  with,  "  No,  no,  you  need  not  trouble 
now." 

11 1  didn't  mean  to  forget  you,  papa,"  she  said. 

"  We  will  make  up  for  it  after  supper,  Miezchen," 
said  the  father.  "  What  did  we  christen  the  child, 
anyway  ?  "  he  continued.  "  Was  n't  it  Maria  ?  " 

"  I  was  there  when  she  was  baptized,"  said  Max, 
"  but  I  cannot  remember.  It  surely  was  not  Miezchen." 

"  Of  course  you  were  there,"  asserted  his  sister. 
"You  were  the  child's  godfather,  and  we  called 
her  Marie.  It  was  papa  himself  who  first  called  her 
Miezchen,  and  Otto  made  it  still  worse." 

"  No,  mamma,  surely  not  worse,"  interposed  Otto. 


THE  HOME  ON  THE  HILL  141 

"  You  see,  Uncle  Max,  it  is  like  this  :  if  she  is  a 
good  little  girl  I  call  her  Miezchen ;  this  she  is  so 
seldom,  however,  that  I  usually  call  her  Miezi.  When 
she  is  angry  and  looks  like  a  little  ruffled  hen,  I  call 
her  Miez." 

"  And  when  Otto  is  angry,  what  does  he  look  like  ? " 
inquired  Uncle  Max,  addressing  Miezi. 

Before  she  could  think  of  a  comparison,  Otto 
answered,  "  Like  a  man  !  " 

They  all  laughed  so  heartily  that  Miezi  stirred  her 
soup  violently  in  her  confusion. 

Uncle  Max  tactfully  changed  the  subject :  "It  has 
been  over  a  year  since  I  have  seen  you  children,  and 
I  wish  you  would  tell  me  what  you  have  been  doing 
while  I  have  been  away." 

Naturally  the  latest  news  was  related  first,  and,  in 
their  eagerness  to  have  Uncle  Max  know  everything, 
both  children  wished  to  speak  at  once.  Among  other 
things  they  told  of  the  fun  they  had  in  school,  and 
that  led  Otto  to  tell  about  his  experience  with  Chappi 
and  Wiseli ;  how  she  had  been  driven  into  the  snow- 
drift and  rudely  treated,  and  how,  though  she  had  no 
sled,  she  finally  had  had  two  rides  on  his. 

"  That  was  right,  Otto,"  said  his  father  ;  "  always 
take  the  part  of  the  weak  and  the  oppressed,  and  honor 
the  meaning  of  your  name.  Who  is  this  little  girl 
you  speak  of  ?  " 


142  WISELI   FINDS  HER  PLACE 

"  I  doubt  if  you  know  her,"  answered  Mrs.  Ritter, 
"  but  Max  knew  the  mother  very  well.  You  remember 
the  frail  linen  weaver  that  lived  near  us  ?  She  was 
his  daughter  and  only  child,  and  she  used  to  come 
often  to  the  parsonage.  She  was  a  pretty  girl  with 
large  brown  eyes,  and  she  could  sing  beautifully.  Do 
you  remember  whom  I  mean  ?  " 

Just  at  this  moment  Trina  brought  in  a  message  : 
"Joiner  Andreas  begs  permission  to  speak  with 
Mrs.  Ritter,  if  it  will  not  disturb  her." 

Quite  a  commotion  followed  this  announcement. 
Mrs.  Ritter  dropped  the  spoon  with  which  she  was 
serving,  and  saying  hastily,  "  Excuse  me,  please," 
left  the  room. 

Otto  and  Miezi  immediately  pushed  back  their 
chairs  to  go  also,  but  Uncle  Max  held  Miezi  fast. 
Otto  stumbled  over  something  in  his  haste,  and  Miezi 
struggled  hard  to  free  herself.  "  Do  let  me  go,  Uncle 
Max  !  Let  me  go  !  "  she  cried. 

"  Why  do  you  want  to  go,  Miezchen  ?  " 

"  To  see  Joiner  Andreas.  Let  me  go.  Help  me, 
papa." 

"  Tell  me  why  you  want  to  see  Joiner  Andreas, 
and  I  will  let  you  go." 

"  My  sheep  has  but  two  legs  left  and  no  tail,  and 
only  Joiner  Andreas  knows  how  to  fix  it.  Now  let 
me  go." 


THE  HOME  ON  THE  HILL  143 

Miezi's  papa  and  Uncle  Max  laughed  as  she  ran 
from  the  room. 

11  Who  is  this  man  that  has  the  whole  household 
at  his  command  ?  "  inquired  Uncle  Max. 

"You  ought  to  know  better  than  I,"  answered 
Colonel  Ritter.  "  Very  likely  he  is  an  old  playmate 
of  yours.  I  am  sure  you  would  enjoy  knowing  him. 
Your  sister  makes  us  all  love  him.  He  is  really 
the  corner  stone  of  this  household,  without  whom 
things  generally  would  go  to  rack  and  ruin.  It 
doesn't  matter  what  happens,  for  'Joiner  Andreas 
will  fix  it.'  In  fact  he  is  helper,  adviser,  comforter, 
and  friend,  all  in  one." 

"  You  may  laugh,"  said  Mrs.  Ritter,  who  returned 
just  then,  "but  I  know  that  Joiner  Andreas  is  a 
comfort." 

"So  do  I,"  said  the  husband,  playfully. 

"So  do  I,"  echoed  Miezi,  as  she  seated  herself  at 
the  table. 

"So  do  I,"  added  Otto,  who  was  rubbing  the 
knuckles  he  had  bruised  in  his  hasty  exit. 

"  Then  we  are  all  agreed,"  said  the  mother.  "  Now 
I  want  you  children  to  go  to  bed." 

"To  which  we  are  not  all  agreed,"  said  Otto, 
teasingly. 

However,  Trina  came  and  they  were  obliged  to  go. 
The  mother  followed  after  a  time,  as  was  her  custom, 


144  WISELI   FINDS  HER  PLACE 

to  hear  the  children's  evening  prayer  and  receive  their 
last  embrace  for  the  night.  This  often  required  some 
time,  for  they  were  eager  to  tell  her  many  things,  and 
detained  her  for  their  own  pleasure.  To-night  she 
remained  until  they  were  quiet  and  then  returned  to 
the  gentlemen  in  the  sitting  room. 

"  At  last,"  said  Colonel  Ritter,  apparently  as  re- 
lieved as  if  he  had  just  conquered  an  enemy.  "  You 
see,  Max,  my  wife's  time  belongs  first  of  all  to  Joiner 
Andreas,  and  then  to  the  children ;  if  there  is  any 
left,  it  belongs  to  me." 

"  Oh,  it 's  not  quite  so  bad  as  that !  "  corrected 
Mrs.  Ritter.  "  You  like  Andreas  just  as  well  as  the 
rest  of  us  do,  even  though  you  won't  admit  it.  That 
reminds  me,  he  told  me  that  he  had  received  the 
money  from  his  yearly  profit  and  wanted  your  advice 
about  investing  it." 

"  Yes,  it  is  a  fact,"  said  the  colonel,  "  that  I  never 
saw  a  more  trustworthy  or  energetic  man  than  he.  I 
would  trust  him  with  all  I  have.  He  is  by  far  the 
most  reliable  and  wide-awake  man  in  our  parish." 

"  Now  you  know  what  he  thinks  of  him,  Max," 
said  Mrs.  Ritter,  laughing. 

"  Yes,  to  be  sure,"  said  the  brother,  "  but  you  have 
said  so  much  about  this  man  that  I  am  curious  to  see 
him.  Did  I  ever  know  him  ?  " 

"  Why,  Max  !  to  think  of  your  asking  !  "  his  sister 


THE  HOME  ON  THE  HILL  145 

admonished  him.  "  You  used  to  go  to  school  together 
and  you  knew  him  well.  Don't  you  remember  the 
two  brothers  who  were  in  your  class,  the  older  one 
such  a  good-for-nothing  boy  ?  Not  that  he  was  stupid, 
but  he  did  n't  care  to  study,  so  the  younger  one  was 
in  the  same  class.  The  older  one's  name  was  George, 
and  he  was  rather  striking  in  appearance  because  of 
his  heavy  black  hair.  Whenever  he  saw  us  he  would 
pelt  us  with  stones  or  apples,  and  he  invariably  called 
us  '  aristocrat-breed.'  " 

Uncle  Max  laughed.  "Yes,  I  should  say  I  do 
remember  him  distinctly,"  he  said.  "That  word  I 
shall  never  forget — '  aristocrat-breed.'  I  should  like 
to  know  how  he  got  hold  of  it.  I  remember  very 
well  what  a  tyrant  he  was.  I  interfered  once  when  I 
saw  him  unmercifully  pommeling  a  much  smaller  boy, 
and  he  took  his  vengeance  on  me  by  calling  me 
'  aristocrat-breed  '  at  least  a  dozen  times.  Now,  of  a 
sudden,  I  remember  the  other  one  too.  Can  it  be 
that  little  Andreas  with  the  violets  has  become  your 
hero  ?  Now  I  comprehend  the  intimacy,  Marie." 

"  The  violets  !  "  broke  in  Colonel  Ritter.  "  I  have 
heard  nothing  about  the  violets." 

"  Why,  I  see  that  scene  before  me  as  if  it  were 
but  yesterday,"  continued  Max,  "  and  I  am  going  to 
tell  you  about  it,  Otto.  You  have  no  doubt  heard 
Marie  tell  about  the  teacher  we  had  in  those  days, 


146  WISELI  FINDS  HER  PLACE 

who  believed  that  the  bad  should  be  whipped  out  of 
children  and  the  good  whipped  into  them.  Conse- 
quently he  was  much  of  the  time  engaged  in  punish- 
ing us  for  one  or  both  purposes.  At  one  time  he  was 
administering  this  treatment  to  the  little  Andreas, 
and  he  struck  the  boy  such  a  heavy  blow  across  the 
back  that  he  screamed  outright.  Well,  my  little  sister, 
who  had  just  begun  to  go  to  school,  and  who  did  n't 
understand  the  teacher's  well-meant  methods,  immedi- 
ately rose  from  her  seat  and  marched  down  fche  aisle 
to  the  door. 

"  The  teacher  stopped  to  see  what  had  happened, 
holding  his  rod  poised  in  the  air  long  enough  to  ask, 
'  Where  are  you  going  ? ' 

"  Marie  turned  around  and,  with  tears  streaming 
down  her  face,  answered  loud  enough  for  the  whole 
school  to  hear,  '  I  am  going  home  to  tell  my  papa.' 

"  I  shall  never  forget  how  the  teacher  left  the 
astonished  Andreas  and  rushed  upon  Marie.  '  Just 
wait  and  I  '11  teach  you,'  he  threatened.  He  roughly 
took  her  by  the  arm  and  forced  her  back  to  her  seat, 
muttering,  '  I  '11  teach  you  !  '  That  ended  the  scene, 
however,  for  he  sent  Andreas  to  his  seat  without  fur- 
ther punishment,  and  nothing  more  was  said  to  Marie. 

"  Andreas  never  forgot  this  kind  act  in  his  behalf, 
and  he  always  brought  Marie  a  bunch  of  violets 
when  he  came  to  school ;  I  used  to  notice  how  they 


THE  HOME  ON  THE  HILL  147 

perfumed  the  schoolroom.  Occasionally  there  would 
be  a  cluster  of  strawberries  or  something  else  equally 
appropriate.  How  the  friendship  has  extended  to  the 
present  state  of  affairs  I  shall  have  to  let  my  sister 
explain." 

"  My  dear  wife,  I  am  eager  to  have  this  brought 
up  to  date,"  remarked  the  colonel. 

Mrs.  Ritter  laughed  with  the  others  and  began  : 
"  The  strawberries  and  violets  were  given  as  Max 
said,  but  you  have  forgotten  how  soon  Andreas  left 
school  after  I  entered.  He  went  to  the  city  to  learn 
the  joiner's  trade.  I  did  n't  lose  track  of  him,  how- 
ever, for  he  often  came  home.  When  Otto  and  I 
were  married  and  bought  this  place,  he  came  to  con- 
sult us  about  his  own  purchase  of  some  property. 
The  owner  of  the  place  wanted  cash,  and  Andreas, 
who  had  lost  his  parents,  had  n't  the  money.  Otto  lent 
him  the  sum  he  needed  and  has  never  regretted  it." 

" I  should  say  not,"  broke  in  the  colonel.  "He  paid 
for  that  long  ago,  and  since  that  time  has  laid  by  a 
good  sum  of  his  own.  He  brings  his  money  to  me, 
and  I  invest  it  for  him.  His  interest  is  adding  to 
his  capital,  and  he  could  now  afford  to  build  a  much 
better  house  and  live  with  more  comforts.  It  is  a 
shame  that  he  is  all  alone  in  the  world." 

"  Has  n't  he  a  wife  ?  And  where  is  George  ?  " 
asked  Max. 


148  WISELI  FINDS  HER  PLACE 

"Andreas  lives  all  alone,"  answered  the  sister. 
"  I  think  his  history  is  too  sad  for  him  ever  to  take 
a  wife.  George  led  a  wild  life  around  here  until 
Andreas  refused  to  help  him  out  of  any  more  scrapes, 
and  now  he  has  disappeared,  for  he  could  n't  pay  his 
debts.  People  were  relieved  to  have  him  out  of  the 
neighborhood,  but  everybody  respects  Andreas." 

"  What  do  you  mean  by  his  sad  experience, 
Marie  ?  "  inquired  Max. 

"  I  should  like  to  hear  about  that,  too,"  said  the 
husband. 

"  Why,  Otto  !  "  said  Mrs.  Ritter,  "  I  have  told  you 
about  it  at  least  a  dozen  times." 

"  Is  that  so?  It  must  please  me,"  answered  the 
husband,  laughing. 

"  Can  you  recall,  Max,  the  girl  whom  we  were 
speaking  of  at  the  table  to-night  when  Andreas  came  ? 
We  could  hear  her  father's  loom  from  our  garden, 
they  lived  so  near  us.  I  told  you  the  girl  was  very 
pretty.  She  had  a  charming  manner  and  her  name 
was  Aloise." 

"  Never  in  my  life  have  I  known  anybody  by  that 
name,"  asserted  Max. 

"  I  know  why  you  say  so,"  corrected  his  sister. 
11  We  never  called  her  that,  and  I  am  sure  that  you 
never  did.  We  called  her  Wisi,  much  to  our  dear 
mother's  disgust.  You  often  went  over  to  get  her 


THE  HOME  ON  THE  HILL  149 

when  we  wanted  to  have  some  music,  because  she 
could  sing  so  well." 

"Oh,  yes,  I  remember  Wisi,"  said  Max,  "and  I 
used  to  like  the  girl,  too ;  but  I  don't  believe  that 
I  ever  knew  of  her  being  named  anything  else." 

"  I  know  that  you  used  to  know,  Max,"  persisted 
Mrs.  Ritter.  "  Mother  so  often  deplored  the  fact  that 
we  would  not  use  the  pretty  name  Aloise,  and  she 
never  liked  what  we  did  call  her." 

"  What  became  of  Wisi  ?  "  inquired  Max. 

"  Well,"  continued  Mrs.  Ritter,  "  Wisi  and  I  were 
much  together,  for  we  were  in  the  same  class  and 
went  from  grade  to  grade  at  the  same  time.  Andreas, 
through  all  those  years,  was  her  stanchest  friend, 
and  she  willingly  accepted  his  attentions,  often  find- 
ing his  friendship  of  great  advantage  to  herself. 

"  For  one  thing  we  were  supposed  to  bring  certain 
examples  worked  out  on  our  slates  when  we  came 
to  school  in  the  morning,  but  Wisi's  slate  was  usually 
blank.  She  was  always  light-hearted  and  merry,  and 
she  would  put  her  slate  on  her  desk  in  a  very  uncon- 
cerned way  and  go  out  to  play ;  when  she  returned, 
the  slate  was  filled  with  neatly  copied  examples. 

"  Once  it  was  brought  before  the  school  that  some 
one  had  broken  a  windowpane,  and  again,  that  some 
one  had  shaken  the  teacher's  fruit  trees,  and  I  remem- 
ber that  we  all  knew  it  was  Wisi's  fault ;  but  Andreas 


150  WISELI  FINDS  HER  PLACE 

took  the  blame  upon  himself  and  the  punishment 
also.  The  rest  of  us  accepted  it  as  a  matter  of  course, 
for  we  all  liked  Wisi  and  were  used  to  having  her 
escape. 

"  How  it  happened  that  the  quietest,  most  earnest 
boy  in  school  should  care  especially  about  the  most 
mischievous  girl  used  to  puzzle  us,  and  I  often  won- 
dered if  Wisi  were  not  indifferent  to  Andreas's  inter- 
est in  her.  I  asked  mamma  about  it  one  day,  and  she 
said,  '  I  am  afraid  that  Aloise  is  somewhat  vain,  and 
that  she  may  live  to  see  the  bad  results  of  her  care- 
lessness.' After  that  I  worried  about  her  myself. 

"  Some  time  later  we  had  Bible  studies  together, 
preparatory  to  our  confirmation,  and  she  took  such 
an  interest  in  them  that  we  began  to  think  she  had 
given  up  her  mischievous  ways.  She  regularly  came 
to  sing  with  us  Sunday  evenings,  and  we  liked  to  have 
her  with  us,  for  her  cheerfulness  infected  us  all.  By 
this  time  she  was  a  very  pretty  young  woman,  not 
rugged,  but  perfectly  well ;  and  she  far  surpassed  the 
other  girls  of  the  neighborhood  in  grace,  beauty,  and 
accomplishments.  Andreas  was  still  at  his  trade,  but 
he  managed  to  come  home  nearly  every  Sunday.  We 
could  all  see  how  much  he  cared  for  Wisi.  He  was 
the  only  one  that  ever  called  her  Wiseli,  and  he 
always  accented  the  name  so  softly  that  we  thought 
it  was  very  pretty. 


THE  HOME  ON  THE  HILL  151 

"  One  Sunday  night,  when  Wisi  and  I  were  not 
quite  eighteen  years  of  age,  she  came  in  radiantly 
happy  and  told  us  that  she  was  soon  to  be  married. 
The  man  to  whom  she  was  betrothed  had  but  recently 
come  to  the  village  and  was  employed  at  the  factory. 
I  was  so  astonished  and  grieved  over  the  news  that  I 
could  say  nothing.  Mother,  however,  asked  her  to 
take  some  time  to  consider  the  matter  thoroughly, 
because  it  was  too  important  a  step  to  take  hurriedly. 
Mother  told  her  that  she  was  very  young  and  that  she 
must  not  forget  that  there  was  some  one  else  who 
had  loved  her  for  years,  of  whose  intentions  she 
could  have  no  doubt;  then,  too,  her  father  needed 
her,  and  she  ought  to  help  him  a  few  years  more. 

"  Wisi  cried  because  mother  talked  so  earnestly, 
but  she  said  that  her  father  had  given  his  consent 
and  it  was  all  arranged  that  they  were  to  be  married 
in  two  weeks.  '  Then,'  said  mother,  '  we  must  make 
the  best  of  it  and  try  to  be  happy.  I  will  play  our 
favorite  melody  and  we  will  sing  the  words. 

"  Commit  thou  all  thy  ways 

And  all  that  grieves  thy  heart 
To  Him  whose  endless  days 
Can  strength  and  grace  impart. 

"  He  gives  to  wind  and  wave 

The  power  to  be  still ; 
For  thee  He  '11  surely  save 
A  place  to  work  His  will."  ' 


152  WISELI  FINDS   HER  PLACE- 

"  When  Wisi  left  us  that  night  she  was  as  cheerful 
as  ever,  but  I  could  not  help  feeling  that  her  happiest 
days  were  over.  Then,  too,  I  feared  for  Andreas, 
but  he  said  nothing,  although  he  has  never  been  the 
same  since.  For  several  years  he  seemed  to  be  far 
from  well,  but  he  did  not  give  up  work." 

"  Poor  fellow !  "  exclaimed  Max  ;  "  and  he  never 
married  ? " 

"Why,  no,  Max!"  said  Mrs.  Ritter,  impatiently, 
"  how  could  he  when  he  is  faithfulness  itself  ?  " 

"  How  was  I  to  know  that  he  possessed  that  virtue 
also,  dear  sister  ?  He  seems  to  have  them  all.  How 
did  Wisi  get  along  ?  I  should  be  sorry  to  hear  that 
her  marriage  proved  a  failure." 

"  I  can  plainly  see  that  your  sympathy  is  with 
her,"  replied  Mrs.  Ritter.  "To  you,  Andreas's  fate 
does  not  matter  so  much." 

"  Not  so,  sister,  but  those  pretty  eyes  of  hers  ought 
never  to  have  been  spoiled  with  tears.  Isn't  she 
happy?" 

"  I  fear  not,  Max.  I  have  seen  but  little  of  her 
since  her  marriage.  There  was  a  coarseness  in  her 
husband's  nature  that  repelled  me,  and  he  was  always 
cross  to  her.  Six  children  were  born  to  them,  and 
all  but  one,  a  frail  little  girl,  have  died.  She  is  called 
Wiseli,  and  is  about  the  size  of  our  Miezchen,  al- 
though she  is  three  years  older.  She  is  the  little  girl 


THE  HOME  ON  THE  HILL  153 

whom  Otto  defended  this  evening.  Her  mother  has 
suffered  so  much  during  all  these  years,  that  there  is 
little  hope  of  her  ever  being  well  again." 

"  That  is  too  bad,"  said  Max  ;  "  we  must  try  to  do 
something  for  her.  Don't  you  think  that  we  might 
help  her  ? " 

"  I  am  afraid  that  it  is  too  late.  Wisi  was  much 
too  delicate  for  all  the  work  and  worry  that  fell  to 
her  lot." 

"  What  is  the  husband  doing  ?  " 

"  I  forgot  to  tell  you,  Max.  About  six  months  ago 
he  had  an  arm  and  a  leg  badly  crushed  in  the  factory, 
and  he  died  a  few  weeks  after  being  injured.  Since 
then  Wisi  has  been  living  alone  with  her  little  girl." 

"  So  that  is  her  story,"  mused  Max.  "  And  one 
child  is  all  that  she  has  left.  What  would  become 
of  her  in  case  Wisi  died  ?  It  is  more  likely,  though, 
that  the  mother  will  get  well,  and  that  Andreas  will 
yet  be  happy." 

"  No,  I  am  sure  it  is  too  late  for  that,"  asserted 
Mrs.  Ritter.  "  Although  Wisi  repented  long  ago,  the 
wrong  could  not  be  undone,  and  she  has  suffered  in 
silence.  But  we  are  forgetting  that  we  must  have 
some  sleep  to-night." 

Colonel  Ritter  had  fallen  asleep  in  his  chair.  It 
was  past  midnight.  Max  roguishly  went  behind  his 
sleeping  brother  and  shook  his  shoulders  so  roughly 


154  WISELI  FINDS  HER  PLACE 

that  the  colonel  sprang  from  his  chair  in  alarm.  Max 
laughed  and  patted  his  shoulder  by  way  of  atonement, 
saying  apologetically,  "  I  only  intended  to  give  you 
a  gentle  warning  that  my  sister  says  we  must  take 
to  our  beds." 

A  few  moments  later  the  house  stood  dark  and 
quiet  in  the  moonlight. 

At  the  foot  of  the  hill  was  another  house  where 
it  would  soon  be  quiet  also ;  from  a  tiny  window  a 
small  lamp  still  sent  a  faint  glimmer  into  the  night. 


CHAPTER   III 

ANOTHER   HOME 

While  Otto  and  Miezi  Ritter  were  going  home 
after  the  coasting,  Wiseli  was  running  down  the  hill 
as  fast  as  her  little  feet  could  take  her ;  she  realized 
that  she  was  later  than  usual  and  was  sorry  to  have 
kept  her  mother  waiting.  The  pleasure  of  her  coast 
gave  an  added  impetus,  for  she  could  scarcely  wait 
to  tell  her  mother  about  it.  In  her  haste  she  would 
have  run  against  a  man  coming  from  the  house,  had 
he  not  quickly  stepped  to  one  side.  She  found  her 
mother  reclining  in  a  chair  by  the  window,  and  she 
wondered  at  it  because  it  was  so  unusual.  She  threw 
her  arms  about  her  neck,  saying  eagerly,  "Are  you 
vexed  with  me,  mother,  for  not  coming  sooner  ?  " 

"  Why,  no,  child ;  but  I  am  glad  that  you  are 
here  now." 

She  hastily  told  her  mother  about  Otto's  kindness, 
and  how  she  had  enjoyed  two  long  rides  on  the 
prettiest  sled  in  school.  "  But,  mother,"  she  added, 
"  what  is  the  matter  ?  Why  have  n't  you  a  light  ?  " 

11  You  may  get  the  lamp  now  and  bring  me  a  glass 
of  water.    I  am  so  thirsty." 
'55 


156  WISELI  FINDS  HER  PLACE 

Wiseli  went  to  the  kitchen  and  returned  carrying 
the  lamp  in  one  hand  and  a  bottle  of  fruit  juice  in 
the  other. 

"  What  are  you  bringing  me?"  asked  the  mother. 

"  I  don't  know  myself.  I  found  it  on  the  kitchen 
table.  See  how  it  sparkles."  The  mother  drew  the 
cork.  "  It  is  raspberry  juice,  as  fragrant  as  the  berries 
fresh  from  the  garden,"  she  said. 

Wiseli  poured  some  of  the  rich  juice  into  a  tumbler 
and  diluted  it  with  water ;  this  the  mother  drank  in 
long  draughts  until  the  tumbler  was  emptied.  "  Leave 
it  near  me,  Wiseli,"  she  said.  "  It  seems  as  if  I 
could  drink  it  all,  I  am  so  thirsty  and  it  is  so  refresh- 
ing. I  wonder  who  was  so  thoughtful  as  to  bring  it 
to  me  !  It  must  have  come  from  Mrs.  Ritter's  and 
very  likely  Trina  brought  it  over." 

"  Trina  always  comes  in  when  she  brings  anything. 
Was  she  here  to-day  ?  " 

"  No.    No  one  came  in." 

"Joiner  Andreas  may  have  left  it  when  he  was 
here,"  said  Wiseli. 

"Wiseli!"  exclaimed  the  mother.  "Joiner  Andreas 
has  not  been  here  either." 

"  But  I  saw  him,  mother.  He  came  out  of  the 
house  just  as  I  came  in.  I  nearly  ran  into  him  in 
my  hurry.  Did  n't  you  hear  any  one  ?  It  seems 
strange  that  he  should  have  been  so  quiet." 


ANOTHER  HOME  157 

"  I  do  remember  that  I  thought  the  kitchen  door 
opened,  and  I  listened  for  your  footsteps,  but  you 
came  in  a  few  moments  later,  so  I  thought  I  must 
have  been  mistaken.  Are  you  sure  that  it  was  Andreas 
whom  you  saw  ?  " 

Wiseli  was  certain,  but  to  convince  the  mother  she 
described  him  as  he  invariably  looked.  "  I  shouldn't 
wonder,"  she  added,  "if  it  were  he  who  brought 
that  large  jar  of  honey  you  liked  so  much,  and  also 
the  cakes  you  found  that  day.  Don't  you  remember 
thanking  Trina  for  them  when  she  brought  you  the 
hot  dinner,  and  she  told  you  that  she  knew  nothing 
about  them  ?  It  must  have  been  Joiner  Andreas 
who  did  it." 

Tears  filled  the  mother's  eyes  as  she  said,  "  I 
think  that  probably  you  are  right,  Wiseli." 

"  Surely  you  are  not  going  to  be  sorry  about  it, 
mother,"  said  Wiseli,  as  she  fondly  stroked  her 
mother's  hair. 

"  No,  but  I  want  you  to  thank  him  for  me  some- 
time, Wiseli.  I  am  afraid  that  I  cannot  do  it  myself. 
Tell  him  that  it  did  me  good ;  that  I  was  glad  he 
was  so  kind.  Give  me  a  little  more,  please." 

Wiseli  prepared  the  fruit  juice  and  brought  a 
pillow  from  the  bed  so  that  her  mother  could  rest 
her  head  on  the  window  seat.  She  drew  a  footstool 
to  the  window  and  made  her  mother  comfortable. 


158  WISELI  FINDS  HER  PLACE 

Then  she  sat  down  beside  her  and  said,  "It  is  time 
for  me  to  say  the  verses  you  taught  me. 

"  Commit  thou  all  thy  ways 

And  all  that  grieves  thy  heart 
To  Him  whose  endless  days 
Can  strength  and  grace  impart. 

"He  gives  to  wind  and  wave 

The  power  to  be  still ; 
For  thee  He  '11  surely  save 
A  place  to  work  His  will." 

"Remember  that,  Wiseli,"  said  the  mother,  drowsily. 
"  If  the  time  ever  comes  when  it  seems  as  if  you  were 
not  cared  for,  take  comfort  and  courage  from  the  verses 
you  have  just  repeated." 

The  mother's  regular  breathing  soon  told  Wiseli 
that  she  was  asleep ;  but  the  child  remained  quietly 
by  her  side  for  fear  of  waking  her.  Thus  it  happened 
that  she  too  fell  asleep,  and  the  lamp  burned  on, 
growing  fainter  and  fainter  until  it  burned  itself  out 
and  left  the  house  dark  in  the  quiet  night. 

Early  the  following  morning  a  neighbor  passed 
the  window  on  her  way  to  the  well,  and,  glancing  in 
as  usual,  she  saw  Wiseli  crying  beside  the  mother, 
who  had  her  head  pillowed  on  the  window  seat.  She 
ran  to  the  child,  saying,  "What  is  it,  Wiseli  ?  I  hope 
your  mother  is  not  worse." 

Wiseli  only  sobbed.    The  neighbor  bent  over  the 


159 


160  WISELI  FINDS  HER  PLACE 

mother  in  surprise  and  alarm.  "  Go  to  your  uncle 
quickly,  Wiseli,"  she  said;  "tell  him  to  come  im- 
mediately. I  will  wait  here  until  you  get  back." 

The  uncle's  house  was  about  fifteen  minutes'  walk 
from  the  church,  and  Wiseli  ran  on  obediently, 
although  the  tears  would  not  be  kept  back.  Her 
aunt  answered  the  knock  at  the  door ;  seeing  the 
child  in  tears  she  said  gruffly,  "  What  is  the  matter 
with  you  ? " 

"  I  have  been  sent  over  to  get  my  uncle ;  my 
mother  is  dead,"  answered  Wiseli,  for  she  had 
reasoned  it  out  to  herself  that  it  must  be  so  or  else 
the  mother  would  speak  to  her. 

The  aunt  softened  perceptibly.  "  He  is  not  here 
just  now,"  she  said  almost  kindly.  "  I  will  have  him 
come  as  soon  as  possible,  so  you  needn't  wait." 

It  was  not  long  after  Wiseli's  return  that  the  uncle 
came.  He  directed  the  neighbor  to  look  after  every- 
thing so  that  he  might  take  the  child  away  at  once. 

"  But  where  shall  we  go?  "  inquired  Wiseli. 

"  You  shall  go  home  with  me,  for  I  am  all  that 
you  have  left  now.  I  will  take  care  of  you." 

In  spite  of  this  assurance  a  great  dread  seized 
Wiseli.  To  go  home  with  her  uncle  meant  to  live 
with  the  aunt  of  whom  she  was  so  afraid  that  she 
had  always  dreaded  even  meeting  her.  Then  there 
were  the  three  rude  cousins,  of  whom  Chappi  was 


ANOTHER  HOME  l6l 

the  oldest.  The  thought  of  how  Hans  and  Rudi  were 
always  throwing  stones  at  children  made  her  shudder. 
How  could  she  go  there  to  live,  and  yet  how  dared 
she  refuse  ? 

All  these  thoughts  flashed  through  Wiseli's  mind 
as  she  stood  hesitating.  "You  needn't  be  afraid," 
said  her  uncle  kindly ;  "  there  are  a  good  many  of 
us,  to  be  sure,  but  you  will  find  that  all  the  more 
interesting." 

Wiseli  tied  a  few  of  her  things  in  a  bundle,  put  a 
shawl  over  her  head,  and  joined  her  uncle  who  was 
waiting  near  the  door. 

"  That  is  a  good  girl,"  said  the  uncle ;  "  now  let 
us  be  off.  Don't  cry  any  more ;  that  never  helps 
anything." 

Wiseli  choked  back  the  sobs  as  best  she  could  and 
followed  the  uncle,  whose  stern  nature  had  never 
been  so  touched  before.  Thus  the  little  home  where 
Wiseli  had  lived,  loving  and  beloved,  passed  out  of 
her  life  forever. 

They  had  a  glimpse  of  Trina,  who  was  crossing  a 
vacant  lot  with  a  basket  on  her  arm,  and  Wiseli  knew 
that  she  was  going  to  see  her  mother. 

Trina  said  to  the  neighbor  who  met  her  at  the 
door ;  "  I  have  something  good  for  the  sick  one's 
dinner  ;  I  hope  I  am  not  too  late.  We  have  a  visitor, 
and  everything  is  late  when  he  is  there." 


162  WISELI   FINDS  HER  PLACE 

"  It  does  n't  matter  now,  for  you  would  have  been 
too  late  even  if  you  had  come  early  this  morning ; 
she  died  in  the  night,"  said  the  neighbor. 

"  Oh,  what  will  Mrs.  Ritter  say ! "  exclaimed  Trina 
in  alarm.  "  She  tried  so  hard  to  have  me  come  yes- 
terday, but  we  were  all  so  taken  up  with  the  uncle's 
arrival  that  it  was  put  off.  I  am  so  sorry  to  have  to 
tell  her  of  this  because  I  know  how  she  will  blame 
herself  for  neglecting  her  friend  so  long." 

"Yes,"  said  the  neighbor,  "we  are  all  apt  to  do 
that.  Yesterday  I  did  not  suspect  that  she  was  any 
worse  than  usual." 

Trina  sorrowfully  returned  to  the  Ritter  home. 


CHAPTER  IV 
THE  GOTTI   HOME 

When  Wiseli  and  her  uncle  arrived  at  Beech- 
green,  the  three  boys  rushed  in  from  the  barn  and 
stood  staring  at  her.  Soon  the  mother  came  in 
from  the  kitchen  and  did  the  same  thing.  Wiseli 
did  not  know  what  to  do  except  to  stand  and 
hold  her  bundle. 

Presently  the  father  seated  himself  at  the  table  and 
said,  "  I  think  we  had  better  have  something  to  eat. 
I  am  afraid  the  little  one  has  not  had  much  to-day. 
Put  your  things  down,  Wiseli,  and  sit  here  with  me." 

Wiseli  obeyed  without  a  word.  The  aunt  brought 
a  large  loaf  of  black  bread  and  some  cheese,  after 
which  she  went  on  staring  at  Wiseli  as  if  she  had 
never  seen  a  child  before. 

The  uncle  cut  a  slice  of  the  bread,  put  a  piece  of 
cheese  on  it,  and  pushed  it  over  in  front  of  Wiseli. 
"  There,  little  one,"  he  said  kindly,  "  eat  that.  You 
must  be  hungry." 

The  suppressed  tears  welled  up  in  Wiseli's  eyes, 
and  her  throat  was  so  choked  that  she  could  scarcely 
breathe.  She  knew  that  she  could  not  swallow  a 
163 


1 64  WISELI  FINDS  HER  PLACE 

single  crumb.  "  No,  thank  you,"  she  managed  to 
say  ;  "I  am  not  hungry." 

"  But  you  had  better  try,"  urged  the  uncle.  "  You 
must  n't  be  afraid." 

Still  Wiseli  left  the  bread  untouched,  and  the  boys 
and  their  mother  continued  to  stare  at  her.  Presently 
the  aunt  dropped  her  hands  from  her  hips  and  said, 
"  If  it  isn't  good  enough  for  you,  then  let  it  alone." 
Wiseli  was  glad  that  she  went  out  after  this  rebuke. 

"  You  had  better  put  your  slice  of  bread  in  your 
pocket,  Wiseli,  for  you  may  want  it  a  little  later," 
said  the  uncle,  and  then  he  too  went  out  to  the 
kitchen,  closing  the  door  after  him. 

Wiseli  knew  that  her  uncle  meant  to  be  good  to 
her,  and  she  wanted  to  obey  him,  so  she  tried  to  put 
the  bread  in  her  pocket.  Unfortunately  this  was  much 
too  small,  so  she  laid  the  bread  back  on  the  table. 

At  this  point  Chappi  snatched  the  slice  saying, 
"  I  will  help  you."  He  was  just  in  the  act  of  taking 
a  bite  when  one  of  the  brothers  struck  his  arm  so 
that  the  bread  dropped  to  the  floor.  Then  the  other 
brother  tried  to  get  it,  and  a  general  scuffle  ensued. 

The  father  opened  the  kitchen  door  to  ask  what  the 
trouble  was.  The  boys  answered  together,  "  Wiseli 
did  n't  want  it." 

"  Unless  you  want  me  to  come  in  with  a  strap  you 
had  better  stop  that  racket,"  threatened  the  father. 


THE  GOTTI  HOME  165 

He  had  just  closed  the  door  again  when  one  of  the 
younger  boys  seized  the  other  by  the  hair,  with  the 
idea  of  holding  him  at  bay  while  he  got  the  bread, 
but  this  only  made  matters  worse,  and  the  bread  dis- 
appeared bite  by  bite  as  each  found  an  opportunity 
to  snatch  it. 

The  aunt  was  washing  potatoes  in  the  kitchen. 
When  her  husband  came  in  she  said,  "  What  do  you 
mean  by  bringing  the  girl  home  with  you  ?  I  should 
like  to  ask  what  you  intend  to  do  with  her." 

"  The  child  had  to  go  somewhere,"  he  answered. 
"  I  am  her  uncle  and  the  only  relative  she  has.  She 
ought  to  be  of  some  help  to  you.  I  am  sure  she  could 
do  the  kind  of  work  you  are  doing  now,  and  you 
could  take  your  time  for  something  you  like  better. 
You  have  always  said  that  the  boys  make  work,  and 
you  can  surely  find  something  for  her  to  do." 

"  Oh,  bosh  !  So  far  as  that  is  concerned,  she  will 
be  no  better  than  the  boys.  You  can  hear  what  is 
going  on  in  there  now,  and  she  has  scarcely  been 
here  fifteen  minutes." 

"  Yes,"  said  the  uncle  ;  "  but  I  have  heard  the  same 
thing  many  times  before  she  came,  and  I  imagine  she 
has  little  enough  to  do  with  it." 

"  Didn't  you  hear  them  all  lay  it  upon  her  when 
you  opened  the  door  ?  "  she  asked  angrily. 

"They  have  to  blame  some  one,"  the  husband 


166  WISELI  FINDS  HER  PLACE 

calmly  answered  ;  "  they  always  do,  I  notice.  I  am 
of  the  opinion  that  you  will  have  little  trouble  from 
the  girl ;  she  acts  and  obeys  better  than  the  boys. 

"  You  need  n't  set  her  up  as  a  model  for  the  boys 
already,"  retorted  his  wife.  " There  isn't  a  place  for 
her  to  sleep,  anyway." 

"  Well,"  said  the  husband,  "  one  can't  plan  every- 
thing at  once.  She  has,  no  doubt,  had  a  bed  to  sleep 
on,  and  it  can  easily  be  brought  over  here.  I  will  talk 
with  the  pastor  about  her  to-morrow.  She  can  sleep 
on  the  bench  behind  the  stove  to-night ;  it  will  at  least 
be  warm.  Later  we  can  partition  off  a  part  of  our 
chamber  large  enough  for  her  little  bed." 

"  I  never  in  my  life  heard  of  any  one  bringing  a 
child  and  a  week  later  her  bed !  "  sneered  the  aunt. 
"  I  should  like  to  know  who  is  going  to  pay  the  bills 
if  we  have  to  go  to  building  on  her  account." 

"If  the  church  agrees  to  let  us  have  her,  they  will 
also  pay  something  for  her  keeping,"  explained  the 
husband.  "  I  will  take  her  for  less  money  than  any 
one  else  would  ask,  because  I  am  her  uncle,  and  she 
will  be  happier  with  us  than  with  strangers.  I  wish 
you  would  tell  Chappi  that  I  want  him  at  the  barn." 

The  aunt  called  to  Chappi,  but  the  boys  were  still 
struggling  on  the  floor  and  he  did  not  hear.  She  went 
into  the  room  and  gruffly  ordered  quiet.  Wiseli  stood 
crouching  against  the  wall,  scarcely  daring  to  move. 


THE  GOTTI  HOME  167 

"  I  wonder  that  you  stand  by  and  watch  such  a 
scene  without  trying  to  stop  it,"  scolded  the  aunt. 
"  Can  you  knit?  " 

Wiseli  trembled  as  she  answered,  "  Yes,  I  can  knit 
stockings." 

The  aunt  handed  Wiseli  a  large  brown  stocking, 
at  the  same  time  sending  Chappi  to  the  barn.  The 
two  brothers  followed  him  out.  "  Remember  that  it 
is  the  foot  you  are  knitting  on,  and  don't  make  it  too 
short,"  cautioned  the  aunt,  and  then  she  returned  to 
the  kitchen. 

Wiseli  was  glad  to  be  alone.  She  sat  down  on  the 
bench  behind  the  stove  so  that  she  might  hold  her 
work  in  her  lap,  for  the  stocking  was  so  heavy  that 
she  could  not  otherwise  manage  the  needles. 

She  had  just  begun  her  knitting  when  the  aunt 
returned  to  say,  "  You  had  better  come  to  the  kitchen 
now,  so  that  you  can  learn  how  I  do  the  work,  for  I 
want  you  to  do  it  next  time." 

Wiseli  followed  to  the  kitchen,  where  she  tried  to 
help,  but  there  seemed  to  be  little  that  she  dared  to 
do.  She  kept  thinking  how  gladly  she  would  have 
done  any  number  of  tasks  for  her  mother,  because 
she  would  have  been  kind.  The  comparison  brought 
the  tears,  so  she  desperately  fought  against  thinking 
about  herself. 

"  Now  pay  attention  !  "  cautioned  the  aunt,  as  she 


168  WISELI  FINDS  HER  PLACE 

walked  about  doing  the  work  while  Wiseli  stood  by 
the  stove ;  "I  want  you  to  know  how  to  do  it  the 
next  time." 

They  were  still  there  when  the  father  and  sons 
came  up  the  walk  from  the  barn,  stamping  the  snow 
from  their  heavy  boots. 

"  They  are  coming ;  run,  Wiseli,  and  open  the 
door,"  said  the  aunt. 

Then  the  woman  drained  a  large  kettle  of  potatoes, 
which  she  took  from  the  stove,  ran  to  the  living  room 
and  dumped  them  in  the  middle  of  the  warped  dining 
table.  Next  she  brought  a  large  pan  of  sour  milk,  and 
said  to  Wiseli,  "The  knives  and  forks  are  in  the 
table  drawer ;  you  can  put  them  on." 

Wiseli  found  five  knives  and  five  forks  in  the 
drawer  and  put  them  on  the  table  ;  then  supper  was 
ready.  The  father  and  the  boys  took  their  places  on 
the  bench  behind  the  table  next  the  window.  There 
was  a  chair  at  one  end  of  the  table,  and  one  at  the  side 
next  the  kitchen,  which  the  aunt  took.  The  uncle 
motioned  Wiseli  to  take  the  other  chair,  saying  to  his 
wife,  "  She  can  sit  there,  I  suppose  ?  " 

"  Of  course,"  snapped  the  aunt,  and  then  went  out 
to  the  kitchen  on  pretense  of  being  busy.  She  kept 
coming  back  for  only  a  moment  at  a  time.  The  uncle, 
understanding  her,  said  impatiently,  "  I  wish  you 
would  sit  still  and  eat  your  supper." 


THE  GOTTI  HOME  169 

"  I  don't  find  the  time  to  sit  still,"  she  retorted ; 
"  I  should  like  to  know  who  is  going  to  look  after 
things  out  there  if  I  don't."  Just  at  that  moment  she 
noticed  that  Wiseli  was  not  eating  her  supper. 

"  Why  are  you  sitting  with  your  hands  in  your  lap  ? " 
she  demanded. 

"  She  hasn't  anything  to  eat  with,"  replied  Rudi, 
who  had  already  solved  the  problem  to  his  own  satis- 
faction, for  he  could  not  understand  how  anybody  could 
help  eating  so  long  as  there  was  anything  on  the  table. 

"  So  that  is  it,"  said  the  aunt.  "  How  was  I  to 
know  that  all  of  a  sudden  we  must  have  six  knives 
and  forks  when  we  have  always  needed  but  five.  I 
suppose  we  must  get  an  extra  spoon,  too.  Why 
could  n't  you  have  said  something  ?  "  she  went  on, 
turning  to  Wiseli.  "You  must  know  that  one  has  to 
have  a  spoon  to  eat  with." 

Wiseli  timidly  answered,  "It  didn't  matter,  be- 
cause I  am  not  hungry." 

"But  why  not?"  snapped  the  aunt.  "Are  you 
used  to  something  better  ?  I  have  n't  any  notion  of 
making  a  change  on  your  account." 

"  I  think  you  had  better  let  the  child  alone,"  in- 
terrupted the  husband.  "  I  don't  want  you  to  frighten 
her.  She  will  get  along  well  enough  after  a  while." 

Wiseli  sat  quietly  while  the  rest  finished  their  meal. 
Then  the  father  said  that  Speck,  the  goat,  was  ailing 


I/O  WISELI   FINDS  HER  PLACE 

at  the  barn,  so  he  would  go  back.  He  put  on  his  fur 
cap,  took  the  lantern,  and  went  out. 

Wiseli  watched  her  aunt  brush  the  potato  peelings 
from  the  table  into  the  empty  milk  pan  with  her  hands ; 
then  she  wiped  the  table,  after  which  the  other  things 
were  soon  washed  and  put  away.  When  all  was  fin- 
ished she  said,  "  Now  you  have  seen  how  I  do  up  the 
supper  work,  Wiseli ;  you  can  do  it  hereafter." 

When  they  came  into  the  living  room,  Chappi  was 
seated  at  the  table  with  his  number  book  and  pencil, 
as  if  he  intended  writing  his  sums  on  the  table  ;  he 
now  began  to  stare  at  Wiseli.  She  had  picked  up  the 
stocking  on  the  bench  by  the  stove,  but  had  not  dared 
to  go  near  the  light  on  the  table. 

"You  ought  to  be  working  examples  yourself," 
he  said  to  Wiseli ;  "  you  aren't  the  smartest  one  in 
school  by  any  means." 

Wiseli  did  not  know  what  to  say.  She  had  not 
been  in  school  that  day,  and  did  not  know  what  ex- 
amples had  been  given  out.  In  fact,  she  seemed  to 
be  out  of  harmony  with  everything. 

"  If  I  have  to  do  sums,  you  have  to,"  continued 
Chappi. 

Wiseli  said  nothing,  and  did  not  stir. 

"  All  right,"  said  Chappi,  "  I  '11  not  do  one  single 
example  more,"  and  he  threw  down  his  pencil. 

"Goody!  "  exclaimed  Hans;  "then  I  don't  need 


THE  GOTTI  HOME  171 

to  either,"  and  he  put  his  multiplication  table  back 
in  his  book  sack.  Study  was  the  most  unpleasant 
thing  he  ever  had  to  do. 

"  I  shall  tell  the  teacher  who  is  to  blame  for  all 
this  laziness,"  said  Chappi,  threateningly;  "you  will 
find  out  what  he  will  do  to  you." 

This  might  have  been  carried  on  indefinitely  had 
not  the  father  returned  from  the  barn.  He  brought 
two  large  mill  sacks  and  asked  Chappi  to  take  his 
things  from  the  table ;  then  he  spread  out  the  sacks, 
folded  them  neatly,  and  laid  them  on  the  bench 
behind  the  stove. 

"There,"  he  said,  "that  is  all  right.  Where  is 
your  bundle,  little  one  ?  " 

Wiseli  brought  it  from  the  corner,  where  she  had 
put  it,  and  was  surprised  to  see  her  uncle  place  it  at 
one  end  of  the  sacks  and  press  it  flat  with  his  hands. 

"There!  "  he  repeated  as  he  gave  the  bundle  a 
last  pat.  Then  turning  to  Wiseli,  he  added:  "You 
may  go  to  sleep  now ;  the  bundle  will  be  your  pillow 
and  the  stove  will  keep  you  from  getting  cold.  You 
three  boys  must  be  off  to  bed !  " 

He  took  the  lamp  and  followed  the  boys  out,  but 
he  returned  presently  and  said :  "I  hope  you  will 
sleep  well,  Wiseli.  Try  hard  not  to  think  about  what 
has  happened  to-day.  It  will  all  come  right  later." 
Then  he  left  her  to  herself. 


WISELI  FINDS  HER  PLACE 


A  moment  later  the  aunt  came,  carrying  a  small 
lamp,  and  wished  to  see  the  bed.  "  Can  you  sleep 
that  way?"  she  asked,  almost  kindly.  "It  will  be 
nice  and  warm  for  you.  Some  people  haven't  any 
bed  and  are  cold  besides.  It  may  happen  to  be  the 
case  with  you  yet,  so  you  better  be  thankful  that  you 
have  a  roof  over  your  head.  Good  night." 

"  Good  night,"  answered  Wiseli,  but  the  door 
closed  too  quickly  for  the  aunt  to  hear. 

Wiseli  was  glad  to  know  that  she  was  to  be  alone 
for  the  night.  The  moon  dimly  lighted  the  room. 
She  had  been  in  such  constant  dread  of  those  about 
her  that  she  had  scarcely  dared  to  think  of  herself. 
Now  she  lifted  up  her  heart  in  prayer,  simply  saying, 
"  Help  me,  Heavenly  Father,  for  I  am  afraid,  and 
mother  is  not  with  me  now." 

She  felt  comforted  after  a  time  because  she  had 
the  assurance,  from  her  mother's  teaching,  that  her 
prayer  would  be  answered.  She  remembered  that  it 
was  only  the  evening  before  that  her  mother  had  told 
her  to  take  comfort  and  courage  from  the  verses  she 
had  repeated.  The  real  meaning  came  to  her  now  as 
she  said  the  lines  over. 

"  For  thee  He  '11  surely  save 
A  place  to  work  His  will." 

The  load  she  had  been  carrying  all  day  seemed 
lifted.  A  quiet  peace  filled  her  trusting  heart,  and 


THE  GOTTI   HOME  173 

she  resolved  in  her  new-found  strength  never  to 
fear  her  cousins  and  the  aunt  again.  She  was  soon 
sound  asleep. 

Wiseli  dreamed  that  she  saw  a  path  before  her 
which  was  beautiful  with  roses  and  carnations  on 
either  side,  and  that  the  sun  was  shining  pleasantly 
overhead.  She  was  so  happy  that  she  danced  for  joy. 
Beside  her  stood  the  mother,  holding  her  by  the  hand. 
She  pointed  down  the  path  and  said  :  "  See,  Wiseli, 
God  is  giving  that  to  you.  Did  n't  I  tell  you  he  would 
find  the  place  ?  " 

"  For  thee  He  '11  surely  save 
A  place  to  work  His  will." 

Wiseli  had  forgotten  all  her  sorrow  and  fear,  and 
slept  as  well  with  her  head  on  the  bundle  on  the  hard 
bench  as  if  she  had  been  dreaming  in  the  softest  bed. 


CHAPTER  V 
HOW   LIFE  CONTINUES  AND  SUMMER  COMES 

When  the  faithful  Trina  returned  to  The  Hill 
with  the  unopened  basket  upon  her  arm,  a  look  of 
anxiety  came  over  Mrs.  Ritter's  countenance.  Trina 
explained  that  the  mother  was  dead  and  that  Wiseli 
had  been  taken  to  the  home  of  her  uncle  Gotti.  The 
news  shocked  the  entire  household,  for  none  of  them 
had  realized  that  the  sickness  would  terminate  so 
suddenly. 

11  Here  I  have  tried  for  several  days  to  visit  the 
poor,  lonely  woman,  and  now  it  is  too  late,"  said  Mrs. 
Ritter.  "  If  I  had  only  gone  I  should  feel  more 
reconciled  to  the  loss." 

"It  is  a  shame  that  Wiseli  must  go  there,"  said 
Otto  as  he  paced  the  floor  with  his  hands  clenched. 
"  I  tell  you  if  I  catch  him  abusing  her,  he  will  need 
to  count  his  ribs  to  see  if  any  are  left." 

"  Of  whom  are  you  speaking  in  that  fashion  ? " 
asked  Mrs.  Ritter. 

"  Of  Chappi.  Think  of  the  mean  things  that  he 
can  do  to  her  now  that  she  has  to  live  in  the  same 
174 


SUMMER  COMES  175 

house  with  him.  It  is  unjust  and  ought  not  to  be 
allowed.  I  '11  attend  to  him  if  I  find  out  that  — 

Just  then  Otto's  voice  was  nearly  drowned  by  a  loud 
stamping  behind  the  stove,  and  he  paused  to  say, 
"  What  are  you  making  such  an  outlandish  noise  for, 
you  Miez  behind  the  stove  ?  " 

Miezi  came  out  in  sight  of  the  others,  her  cheeks 
flaming  red  from  the  heat  of  the  stove  combined  with 
her  exertions  in  trying  to  get  her  feet  into  a  pair  of 
wet  shoes  which  Trina  had  but  a  short  time  before 
taken  off  with  the  greatest  difficulty. 

She  continued  her  efforts,  but  managed  to  say, 
"  You  can  see  that  I  have  to  do  it ;  no  one  on  earth 
could  put  on  these  things  without  stamping." 

"  Why  must  they  be  put  on,  when  I  have  just  taken 
the  pains  to  get  you  out  of  them  ?  "  asked  Trina. 

"  I  am  going  to  Beechgreen  to  get  Wiseli ;  she 
can  have  my  bed,"  replied  Miezi,  with  a  finality  that 
seemed  to  admit  of  no  interference. 

Her  operations  were  nevertheless  cut  short  by 
Trina,  who  picked  her  up  in  her  arms  and  carried 
her  to  a  chair. 

"  That  is  nice  of  you,  Miezchen,"  she  said,  "  but  I 
had  better  do  that  errand  for  you.  There  is  no  reason 
why  you  should  wear  out  your  shoes  getting  ready. 
You  can  let  Wiseli  have  your  bed  and  you  can  go  to 
the  attic  to  sleep.  There  is  plenty  of  room  up  there." 


176  WISELI   FINDS  HER  PLACE 

This,  however,  was  not  in  harmony  with  Miezi's 
plans ;  she  had  solved  the  sleeping  problem  to  her 
own  as  well  as  to  Wiseli's  advantage,  for  nothing  else 
would  suit  her  so  well  as  never  to  have  to  go  to  bed. 
So  long  as  she  could  remember,  she  had  always  been 
sent  to  bed  when  she  wanted  very  much  to  be  up. 

It  soon  became  evident  to  Miezi,  not  only  that 
Trina  was  keeping  her  from  going  to  Wiseli,  but  that 
she  had  no  intention  of  going  in  her  place.  When 
Trina  frankly  refused  to  go,  Miezi  cried  so  bitterly 
that  Otto  put  his  hands  over  his  ears,  and  the  mother 
came  to  make  terms  of  peace.  She  promised  to  talk 
the  matter  over  with  papa  just  as  soon  as  he  and 
Uncle  Max  returned  from  a  long-contemplated  visit 
at  a  friend's  house  some  distance  away. 

It  was  four  days  later  when  the  colonel  and  Uncle 
Max  returned.  The  children  brought  the  subject  of 
Wiseli's  coming  to  live  with  them  before  the  father 
at  once,  and  he  promised  to  investigate  the  conditions 
the  next  morning. 

At  noon  the  following  day  the  colonel  came  home 
with  the  information  that  he  was  too  late  to  get 
Wiseli.  "  You  know,  children,"  he  said,  "  her  uncle 
Gotti  really  wants  to  help  the  girl.  He  is  a  highly 
respected  man  and  he  offered  to  take  the  child  for 
very  little  money.  Wiseli's  mother  left  her  scarcely 
anything,  so  somebody  had  to  offer  her  a  home,  and 


SUMMER  COMES  177 

it  seemed  natural  that  her  uncle  should  do  so.  Every- 
body feels  satisfied  that  she  has  been  well  placed.  I 
believe  it  is  the  best  arrangement  that  could  be  made, 
for  she  is  much  too  young  to  go  out  to  work.  We 
cannot  take  all  the  homeless  children  unless  we  put 
up  an  orphanage." 

"I  had  only  hoped,"  said  Mrs.  Ritter,  "that  we 
might  help  to  find  a  place  more  suited  to  the  child. 
She  has  a  sensitive  nature  as  well  as  a  frail  body,  and 
she  ought  to  be  somewhere  else.  She  will  hear  a 
great  deal  that  is  coarse  and  rude  where  she  is,  and 
will  have  to  work  much  too  hard  for  her  delicate  con- 
stitution. We  shall  have  to  accept  the  situation,  but 
I  am  sorry  that  we  cannot  help  her  in  some  way." 

Miezi  cried,  and  Otto  struck  the  table  with  his 
clenched  fist  to  emphasize  how  he  would  deal  with 
Chappi  if  he  were  unkind  to  Wiseli.  It  was  only  a 
few  days,  however,  before  the  children  grew  accus- 
tomed to  thinking  of  the  little  girl  in  her  new  sur- 
roundings, and  the  weeks  sped  on  as  rapidly  as  ever. 

In  the  meantime  Wiseli  was  becoming  reconciled 
to  her  new  home.  Her  bed  had  been  brought  over 
as  her  uncle  had  planned,  and  it  was  put  in  a  box- 
like  apartment  partitioned  off  from  the  aunt's  sleeping 
room.  This  was  barely  large  enough  for  the  bed  and 
the  small  trunk  which  had  been  brought  over  with 
the  remainder  of  the  little  girl's  things.  Wiseli  had 


1 78  WISELI  FINDS  HER  PLACE 

to  stand  either  on  the  bed  or  on  the  trunk  when  she 
dressed,  and  she  had  to  climb  over  the  trunk  to  get 
into  bed.  She  had  to  go  to  the  well  out  of  doors  to 
wash  her  hands  and  face.  When  it  was  so  cold  that 
the  water  would  freeze,  the  aunt  told  her  to  let  it  go 
altogether.  "I  am  sure,"  she  said,  "that  you  can 
wash  yourself  enough  when  it  gets  warmer."  Since 
this  advice  was  not  in  accordance  with  her  mother's 
teaching,  Wiseli  did  not  accept  it. 

The  life  in  Wiseli's  present  surroundings  was  so 
different  in  every  way  from  that  to  which  she  had 
been  accustomed,  that  the  comparison  often  produced 
severe  homesickness,  although  she  was  never  again 
so  unhappy  as  on  the  first  evening  at  her  uncle's 
house.  She  remembered  her  beautiful  dream  and  she 
did  not  doubt  that  a  better  place  would  be  found  for 
her,  since  she  had  prayed  for  it.  "  My  mother  will 
not  let  God  forget  me,"  was  the  assurance  that  held 
up  hope  before  her  during  those  trying  days,  and  the 
thought  of  the  verses  was  constantly  with  her. 

"  For  thee  He  '11  surely  save 
A  place  to  work  His  will." 

The  winter  had  passed  and  a  promising  spring  was 
at  hand.  The  trees  put  forth  their  green  leaves  and 
the  meadow  was  dotted  with  primroses  and  anemones. 
In  the  woods  the  birds  were  merry,  and  the  warm 


SUMMER  COMES  179 

sunshine  changed  the  barren  waste  of  winter  to  a  liv- 
ing beauty  that  made  all  hearts  rejoice. 

Probably  no  one  enjoyed  the  balmy  days  more  than 
Wiseli,  and  she  felt  quite  happy  as  she  walked  to  and 
from  school.  At  other  times  there  was  scarcely  a 
moment  to  spare,  not  even  to  notice  the  pretty 
flowers,  for  not  only  did  she  have  to  work  every 
moment,  but  she  had  to  work  hard.  She  helped  with 
the  garden,  and,  since  the  aunt  worked  in  the  field 
on  the  farm,  she  had  to  get  the  meals  and  wash 
dishes  as  well.  She  did  the  patching  for  the  whole 
family,  made  the  gruel  for  the  little  pigs,  and  carried 
it  to  them  besides  ;  in  short,  she  did  everything  about 
the  house,  so  that  she  often  had  to  stay  away  from 
school  in  order  to  finish  her  duties. 

Going  to  school  was  Wiseli's  greatest  pleasure.  It 
rested  her  tired  body  and,  best  of  all,  she  heard  there 
kind  and  friendly  words.  During  recess  and  after 
school  hours  Otto  was  sure  to  speak  to  her  in  a  cor- 
dial way,  and  it  did  much  to  relieve  the  lonely  feeling. 
Sometimes  a  message  came  from  Mrs.  Ritter  inviting 
Wiseli  to  spend  the  following  Sunday  with  her  chil- 
dren. Wiseli  was  never  allowed  to  accept  these  invi- 
tations to  The  Hill,  for  the  aunt  would  say,  "It  is 
the  only  day  that  you  don't  have  to  go  to  school,  and 
I  can't  spare  you  every  day." 

Wiseli  worked  all  day  Sunday,  but  it  was  pleasant 


180  WISELI   FINDS  HER  PLACE 

to  know  that  the  Ritter  family  had  invited  her,  and 
there  was  always  the  hope  that  some  day  she  might 
be  allowed  to  go. 

There  was  another  reason  why  Wiseli  liked  to  go 
to  school.  The  road  went  by  the  home  of  Joiner 
Andreas.  She  had  not  forgotten  that  she  had  the 
message  from  her  mother  to  deliver  to  him.  She 
was  too  timid  to  go  to  the  house  and  ask  for  him, 
but  she  watched  for  the  opportunity  to  see  him  in 
his  garden  or  near  his  home.  She  never  passed  his 
place  without  looking  over  the  garden  fence  to  see 
if  he  was  there.  She  had  not  yet  seen  him,  although 
the  garden  was  in  the  best  of  trim  and  indicated  that 
he  spent  many  hours  there. 

May  and  June  had  passed,  and  now  the  long  hot 
summer  days  had  come,  bringing  increased  work  on 
the  farm.  Wiseli  had  to  go  to  the  haymaking.  She 
was  expected  either  to  rake  the  hay  together  or  to 
use  the  fork  in  spreading  it  in  the  sun,  working  all 
day  long  until  her  arms  ached  so  wretchedly  that  she 
could  not  sleep.  This,  however,  was  not  what  made 
her  unhappy,  for  it  did  not  occur  to  her  that  she  ought 
not  to  work  as  she  did.  Her  great  trouble  was  that 
she  had  to  miss  school,  except  on  rainy  days,  or  occa- 
sionally when  the  aunt  said  that  she  might  go.  Chappi 
often  said  in  the  evening,  when  he  was  doing  his 
examples,  "  Why  don't  you  get  your  lessons,  Wiseli? 


SUMMER  COMES  l8l 

You  never  know  anything,  and  you  seem  to  think  that 
you  can  live  without  working." 

It  was  this  that  hurt  Wiseli,  for  she  could  rarely  go 
to  school  two  days  in  succession,  and  so  she  was  not 
able  to  keep  up  with  the  class.  One  day,  when  she 
failed  to  give  a  correct  answer,  the  teacher  said,  "I 
did  not  expect  that  of  you,  Wiseli ;  you  used  to  be 
a  good  scholar."  How  it  shamed  the  child,  and  how 
she  cried  all  the  way  home  that  night,  no  one  but  her- 
self realized  !  It  seemed  to  her  that  day  that  no  one 
cared  for  her  after  all,  and  when  she  got  into  her  little 
bed  at  night,  she  felt  too  miserable  even  to  pray.  But 
she  could  not  sleep  until  she  had  repeated  her  usual 
prayer,  although  it  was  said  almost  hopelessly. 

This  happened  in  July.  The  following  morning 
Wiseli  was  standing  at  the  table  when  the  boys  went 
off  to  school,  and  she  was  wondering  whether  or  not 
she  should  be  allowed  to  go.  The  aunt  said  nothing, 
and  the  uncle  was  not  in  the  room. 

The  aunt  had  a  large  washing  on  hand  for  that 
day.  Would  she  be  asked  to  carry  it  to  the  trough 
and  help  ? 

Yes,  she  heard  her  aunt  calling,  and  she  was  just 
about  to  answer  when  her  uncle  came  in,  saying, 
"  Hurry,  Wiseli,  the  boys  have  gone  already.  The 
hay  is  safe  in  the  barn,  and  you  shall  go  to  school 
now.  You  may  tell  the  teacher  that  you  will  not  be 


182  WISELI  FINDS   HER  PLACE 

kept  out  any  more  for  a  while,  and  explain  to  him 
that  it  was  because  we  had  so  much  work  on  our 
hands  that  you  had  to  stay  away." 

Wiseli  felt  as  free  as  a  bird  that  morning.  She 
knew  that  she  might  go  ta  school  every  day  that 
week,  and  it  was  something  worth  living  for.  How 
beautiful  the  morning  was  !  The  birds  warbled  their 
care-free  notes  in  the  tree  tops,  the  sunlight  sparkled 
on  the  dewy  grass,  and  the  air  was  fragrant  with  the 
perfume  of  the  wild  flowers.  Wiseli  had  no  time  to 
stop,  but  she  noticed  all  this  beauty  as  she  ran  along. 

That  afternoon,  just  as  the  school  children  were 
about  to  rush  out  to  their  freedom,  the  teacher  asked, 
"  Whose  turn  is  it  to  care  for  the  schoolroom  this 
week  ?  " 

"It  is  Otto's;  it  is  Otto's!  "  cried  the  children, 
and  the  next  moment  they  were  gone. 

"  Otto,"  said  the  teacher  sternly,  "you  didn't  do 
your  duty  here  last  night.  I  will  overlook  it  this  time, 
but  I  want  you  to  see  that  it  does  not  happen  again, 
or  I  shall  be  obliged  to  enforce  the  penalty  upon  you." 

Otto  glanced  around  the  room  and  saw  the  nut- 
shells, apple  parings,  and  bits  of  paper  that  he 
was  supposed  to  clean  up ;  then  he  looked  at  the 
children  playing  out  of  doors,  and  the  first  thing 
he  knew  he  was  among  them.  The  teacher  had 
already  left  the  room. 


SUMMER  COMES  183 

Later,  when  the  children  were  all  gone,  Otto  stood 
for  a  moment  watching  the  golden  glow  of  the  even- 
ing sky  and  thought,  "  If  I  could  only  go  home  now  ! 
I  would  pick  my  cap  full  of  cherries  and  take  a  ride 
out  to  the  meadow  with  the  hired  man  ;  now  I  have 
to  go  to  that  stuffy  room  and  sweep  and  dust  it." 

Otto's  patience  forsook  him  as  he  started  for  the 
schoolroom.  "  I  shouldn't  care,"  he  said,  "  if  a  cy- 
clone came  along  and  shattered  the  old  house  into  a 
thousand  pieces. ' '  There  was  no  alternative,  however  ; 
he  must  either  take  his  turn  at  cleaning  the  school- 
room, or  he  must  stay  in  at  recess  to-morrow.  He 
had  no  sooner  entered  the  room  than  he  noticed,  to 
his  great  surprise,  that  the  work  was  done.  Not  a 
speck  of  dust  was  to  be  seen,  and  the  windows  had 
been  opened  wide,  letting  the  air  enter  freely,  so  that 
the  room  seemed  as  fresh  as  out  of  doors. 

Just  at  this  moment  the  teacher  entered  hastily  and 
looked  in  astonishment  at  the  staring  Otto.  Then  he 
noticed  the  clean  room  and  said  kindly,  "  You  may 
be  satisfied  with  your  work  to-night.  I  did  not  ex- 
pect you  to  do  so  well,  although  you  are  always  good 
at  your  lessons.  Good  night." 

Now  that  Otto  was  convinced  that  what  he  saw 
was  real,  he  seized  his  cap  and,  clearing  the  steps  in 
two  jumps,  ran  all  the  way  up  the  hill.  It  did  not 
occur  to  him  to  seek  for  an  explanation  of  what  had 


1 84  WISELI   FINDS  HER  PLACE 

happened,  until  he  told  his  mother  about  it  when 
he  reached  home. 

"  You  may  be  sure  that  no  one  did  it  for  you  by 
mistake,"  said  his  mother.  "You  must  have  some 
good  friend  who  has  willingly  sacrificed  himself  for 
you.  Perhaps  you  can  think  of  some  one  who  may 
have  done  it." 

"  I  know  who  it  was,"  said  Miezi,  who  had  been 
listening. 

"Who?"  asked  Otto. 

"  Henry,  because  you  gave  him  an  apple  about  a 
year  ago,"  said  Miezi,  emphatically. 

"  Yes,  or  William  Tell,  because  I  did  n't  take  his 
away  from  him  about  a  year  ago  ;  that  would  be  just 
as  sensible,  you  little  Miezi,"  said  Otto,  as  he  play- 
fully stroked  her  cheek.  Just  then  he  saw  an  oppor- 
tunity to  ride  out  to  the  hayfields,  so  the  subject 
was  dropped. 

In  the  meantime  Wiseli  was  tripping  down  the  hill 
happier  than  she  had  been  for  many  a  day.  She  passed 
Joiner  Andreas's  house,  but  retraced  her  steps  in 
order  to  get  a  good  view  of  the  carnation  bed. 

"It  is  a  little  late,"  she  thought,  "but  I  shall  get 
home  before  the  boys,  anyway,  for  they  are  probably 
playing  somewhere." 

Just  as  she  was  admiring  the  flowers,  the  joiner 
came  out  of  the  house  and  walked  directly  toward 


i8S 


1 86  WISELI  FINDS  HER  PLACE 

her.  "Wouldn't  you  like  to  have  a  few  carnations, 
Wiseli  ?  "  he  said. 

"  Yes,  very  much,  "  she  answered.  "  My  mother 
wanted  me  to  tell  you  something,  too." 

"  Your  mother !  "  he  gasped,  and  the  carnations 
he  had  just  picked  fell  unheeded  to  the  ground. 
Wiseli  darted  through  the  gate  and  picked  them  up. 
"  When  my  mother  was  sick  and  did  n't  eat  anything 
any  more,  she  drank  that  nice  fruit  juice  you  put  in 
the  kitchen,  and  it  made  her  feel  better.  She  told 
me  to  thank  you  for  bringing  it,  and  for  all  that  you 
did  for  her.  She  said  you  were  very  kind." 

Wiseli  was  surprised  to  see  the  tears  in  the  good 
man's  eyes.  He  tried  to  say  something,  but  he  could 
not.  He  took  Wiseli's  hand  in  both  of  his,  patted  it 
gently,  and  returned  to  the  house  without  another 
word. 

Wiseli  was  amazed.  Nobody  else  had  shed  any 
tears  for  her  mother,  and  she  had  not  allowed'  her- 
self to  do  so  when  anybody  could  see  her ;  yet  here 
was  a  man  so  moved  that  he  could  not  speak  of  her. 
How  she  loved  him  for  it !  She  started  homeward 
for  fear  of  being  later  than  the  boys,  and  it  was  well 
she  did  so,  for  they  had  just  turned  in  at  the  gate 
when  she  got  there. 

Wiseli  felt  so  much  better  when  she  went  to  bed 
that  night  that  she  wondered  how  she  could  have  been 


SUMMER  COMES  187 

so  discouraged  the  evening  before.  She  resolved  to 
keep  herself  cheerful  in  the  future,  if  it  were  possible. 
The  good,  kind  face  of  Joiner  Andreas  was  the  last 
thing  she  thought  of  before  going  to  sleep. 

The  following  day  (it  was  Wednesday)  Otto  had 
a  repetition  of  his  strange  experience.  It  had  not 
occurred  to  him  that  the  good  fairy  would  again 
appear,  and,  as  usual,  he  was  not  able  to  keep  from 
rushing  out  with  the  others  and  frolicking  until  the 
children  left  the  playground.  When  he  returned  to  do 
his  work,  the  room  was  again  in  the  best  of  order. 

He  began  to  be  really  curious  as  to  whom  he  had 
to  thank  for  this  favor.  He  decided  to  play  the  spy 
the  next  night  and  solve  the  mystery.  Accordingly, 
after  the  school  had  been  dismissed  the  following 
afternoon,  Otto  waited  a  moment  at  his  seat,  wonder- 
ing how  he  could  get  to  a  hiding  place  unseen,  when 
the  boys  began  to  shout,  "  Come  on,  Otto,  come  on; 
we  want  to  play  robber  and  you  must  lead." 

"  I  have  to  clean  up  this  week,  so  I  won't  play 
to-night,  "  he  said. 

"  What  difference  will  fifteen  minutes  make  ? 
Come  on." 

He  gave  up  his  scheme  of  playing  spy  and  went 
with  the  boys.  Instead  of  the  game's  lasting  fifteen 
minutes,  it  was  half  an  hour  before  it  was  over,  and 
Otto  felt  anxious  as  to  whether  he  must  still  do  his 


188  WISELI   FINDS  HER  PLACE 

work.  He  ran  panting  to  the  schoolroom  and  gave 
the  door  such  a  vigorous  kick  that  the  teacher  came 
in  to  see  what  had  happened. 

"  What  do  you  want,  Otto  ?  "  he  asked. 

"  Just  to  see  if  I  did  everything,"  stammered  Otto. 

"Very  well  done,"  commented  the  teacher,  as  he 
looked  about.  "  Your  zeal  is  praiseworthy,  Otto,  but 
you  need  n't  be  so  boisterous  when  you  come  to  the 
door  again." 

Otto  went  out  more  curious  than  ever.  He  deter- 
mined to  find  out  the  next  night  without  fail,  for,  with 
the  exception  of  Saturday  morning,  it  would  be  his 
last  opportunity. 

"  Otto,"  called  the  teacher  as  soon  as  he  had 
dismissed  school  the  next  day,  "  I  wish  you  would 
take  this  note  to  the  pastor's  for  me  and  wait  for  an 
answer  ;  you  can  be  back  in  five  or  ten  minutes  to  do 
your  cleaning." 

Otto  was  not  in  the  least  pleased  to  do  the  teacher's 
errand,  but  he  dared  not  refuse,  so  he  started  off  at 
a  run,  hoping  to  be  back  in  time  to  capture  the  good 
fairy,  if  she  appeared  to  do  his  work.  When  he  got  to 
the  parsonage,  he  was  admitted  at  once,  and  told  that 
the  pastor  would  see  him  directly.  Then  the  minister's 
wife  called  him  to  the  garden  to  chat  a  moment,  and 
it  seemed  an  age  to  him  before  he  could  free  himself 
courteously,  for  she  asked  not  only  about  himself  and 


SUMMER  COMES  189 

his  health,  but  that  of  his  mother,  father,  Uncle  Max, 
Miezi,  and  apparently  all  the  relatives  in  Germany. 

Finally  the  opportunity  came  to  present  the  note 
to  the  pastor,  and  it  was  but  a  moment  later  when  he 
was  speeding  back  to  the  schoolhouse  with  the  written 
answer  in  his  hand.  He  fairly  stumbled  into  the 
schoolroom  in  his  eagerness  to  see  if  any  one  was 
there,  but,  as  before,  the  room  was  in  the  best  of  order 
and  not  a  soul  to  be  seen. 

"  Not  once  this  week  have  I  had  to  do  that  disa- 
greeable task,  "  he  thought.  "  Since  there  is  some 
one  who  is  doing  such  work  without  needing  to,  I  am 
at  least  going  to  find  out  who  it  is." 

The  school  closed  at  eleven  o'clock  on  Saturday. 
Otto  let  all  the  children  pass  out ;  when  they  had 
gone,  he  went  outside,  locked  the  door,  and  stood 
with  his  back  against  it  waiting  to  see  who  would 
come  back  to  do  the  work.  He  stood  there  waiting 
until  half  past  eleven,  and  still  no  one  came. 

Otto  remembered  that  the  family  at  home  were  to 
have  lunch  promptly  at  twelve,  for  an  afternoon's  out- 
ing had  been  planned  and  he  had  promised  to  get 
home  as  early  as  possible.  It  became  evident  that  he 
was  going  to  have  to  do  the  work  himself,  and  he  dared 
wait  no  longer.  Greatly  disappointed,  he  unlocked  the 
door  and  entered  the  room,  but  —  Otto  could  scarcely 
believe  his  eyes  —  the  work  was  finished  as  usual. 


IQO  WISELI  FINDS  HER  PLACE 

How  very  strange  it  seemed !  For  a  moment  a 
superstitious  fear  possessed  him,  and  he  tiptoed  to 
the  door  and  went  out,  taking  pains  to  lock  it  securely 
behind  him. 

Just  at  that  moment  Wiseli  came  quietly  out  of 
the  teacher's  kitchen  door ;  she  listened  intently  for 
a  moment,  but  hearing  no  one,  started  on  her  way 
home,  which  led  her  by  the  schoolhouse  door.  The 
next  moment  she  and  Otto  were  face  to  face.  Each 
was  startled  at  the  other's  presence,  and  Wiseli 
blushed  deeply,  as  if  she  had  been  caught  doing 
something  very  wrong.  This  partly  betrayed  her  to 
Otto,  who  said  :  "  Surely,  Wiseli,  you  have  not  been 
doing  all  that  work  for  me  this  week  ?  How  could 
any  one  who  did  n't  have  to  ?  " 

"  It  has  given  me  a  great  deal  of  pleasure,"  said 
Wiseli. 

"  Oh,  no,  don't  say  that !  "  exclaimed  Otto.  "To  do 
such  work  couldrit  give  anybody  any  pleasure." 

"  But  it  did,  really,  Otto.  I  was  always  glad  when 
night  came  and  I  could  do  it  again.  I  was  all  the 
time  thinking  how  glad  and  surprised  you  would  be 
to  find  the  task  finished." 

"  What  made  you  do  it  for  me,  Wiseli  ?  " 

"I  knew  that  you  didn't  like  to  do  it,  and  I 
have  many  a  time  wished  for  an  opportunity  to  do 
something  for  you. 


SUMMER  COMES  191 

"  I  am  sure  you  have  done  a  great  deal  more  for  me 
than  I  did  for  you,  and  I  shall  not  forget  it,  Wiseli." 
Otto  had  taken  Wiseli 's  hand  in  his  and  she  was 
very  happy. 

"  I  waited  to-day  until  everybody  had  gone,  and 
even  now  I  cannot  see  how  you  got  into  that  room," 
said  Otto. 

"  I  never  went  out,"  she  replied.  "  I  hid  behind 
my  seat,  for  I  expected  you  to  go  out  as  usual." 

"  How  have  you  always  before  managed  to  get 
away  without  my  seeing  you  ?  "  asked  Otto. 

"You  don't  notice  much  when  you  are  playing," 
said  Wiseli.  "  Yesterday  and  to-day,  when  I  was  not 
sure  where  you  were,  I  went  through  the  teacher's 
room  and  asked  his  wife  if  she  had  an  errand  she 
would  like  to  have  me  do  on  the  way  home.  I  have 
several  times  done  things  for  her.  I  was  behind  the 
kitchen  door  yesterday  when  you  stormed  into  the 
schoolroom." 

Both  children  laughed  heartily  at  the  remembrance. 
Otto  impulsively  pressed  Wiseli's  hand  and  said,  "  I 
am  truly  grateful  to  you.  Good-by."  After  they  had 
gone  their  separate  ways,  they  both  rejoiced  that  they 
had  discovered  each  other. 


CHAPTER  VI 
A   NEW   FEATURE 

The  summer  had  passed,  and  now  the  late  autumn 
was  at  hand.  The  nights  were  getting  cold  and 
damp.  The  cows  were  eating  the  last  bits  of  grass 
in  the  chilly  pastures,  while  the  boys  herding  them 
built  fires  to  warm  themselves  and  to  roast  potatoes. 

One  such  unpleasant  evening  Otto  came  home 
from  school  to  tell  his  mother  that  he  was  going  over 
to  see  what  Wiseli  was  doing,  for  she  had  not  been 
at  school  for  a  whole  week.  He  took  an  apple  and 
hurried  away.  As  he  went  up  the  path  to  Beechgreen 
he  noticed  Rudi  sitting  on  the  ground  in  front  of 
the  door  with  a  pile  of  pears  beside  him ;  he  was 
busily  engaged  biting  into  first  one  and  then  another. 

"  Where  is  Wiseli  ?  "  asked  Otto. 

"Outdoors,"  answered  Rudi. 

"  Where  outdoors  ?  " 

"  In  the  pasture." 

"In  what  pasture  ?  " 

"  I  don't  know." 

"  You  will  not  suffer  from  overpoliteness  at  least," 
remarked  Otto.  He  started  for  the  large  pasture  near 
192 


A  NEW  FEATURE  193 

the  woods.  Just  then  he  noticed  some  people  under 
a  pear  tree  near  at  hand,  and  soon  he  saw  Wiseli 
gathering  pears  into  a  basket.  Hans  had  thrown 
himself  face  upward  across  a  filled  basket  and  was 
rocking  himself  in  a  way  which  threatened  the  over- 
turn of  the  pears.  Chappi  was  perched  up  in  the 
tree  laughing  at  his  brother's  antics.  When  Wiseli 
saw  Otto  coming,  her  face  broke  into  happy  smiles. 

"  I  have  come  to  see  how  you  are,  Wiseli,"  said 
Otto,  as  he  took  her  hand.  "  Why  have  you  been  out 
of  school  so  long  ?  " 

"There  was  so  much  to  be  done  that  I  couldn't 
go,  Otto.  See  what  a  lot  of  pears  there  are  !  I  have 
to  pick  pears  from  morning  until  night." 

"  Your  shoes  and  stockings  are  soaked,"  remarked 
Otto.  "  Ugh,  it  is  cold  here.  Does  n't  it  make  you 
sick  to  get  so  wet?  " 

"  Yes,  sometimes  ;  but  the  work  usually  keeps  me 
warm." 

Just  then  Hans  gave  such  a  violent  lurch  that  the 
basket  went  over  and  the  pears  scattered  in  every 
direction. 

"Oh,"  cried  Wiseli,  "that  is  too  bad!  Now  we 
must  gather  them  all  over  again." 

"  And  that  one  too,"  cried  Chappi,  and  he  laughed 
as  the  pear  that  he  threw  hit  Wiseli  on  the  forehead 
hard  enough  to  bring  tears  to  her  eyes. 


194  WISELI  FINDS  HER  PLACE 

It  had  scarcely  happened,  however,  before  Otto 
had  pulled  Chappi  from  the  tree  and  had  taken  a 
firm  grip  on  his  throat. 

"  Stop,  you  're  choking  me,"  gurgled  Chappi.  He 
was  not  laughing  any  more. 

"  I  will  teach  you  that  you  are  responsible  to  me 
when  you  treat  Wiseli  in  that  way,"  said  Otto,  his 
voice  strained  in  his  anger.  He  tightened  his  grip 
as  he  added,  "Is  this  enough  to  make  you  remember 
what  I  told  you  ?  " 

"Yes,"  gasped  Chappi,  whose  face  was  turning 
purple. 

"  I  will  let  you  go,"  said  Otto,  "but  I  want  you 
to  keep  in  mind  that  I  will  give  you  such  a  choking 
as  you  will  remember  to  your  dying  day  if  you  ever 
hurt  Wiseli  again.  Good-by,  Wiseli."  Then  Otto 
was  gone. 

He  went  straight  to  his  mother  and  indignantly 
protested  against  the  necessity  of  Wiseli 's  having  to 
live  with  those  boys  at  her  uncle's  home.  He  de- 
clared his  intention  of  going  over  to  ask  the  pastor 
if  complaint  might  be  entered  against  the  whole 
family,  so  that  Wiseli  might  be  taken  from  them. 

"My  dear  son,"  said  Mrs.  Ritter ;  "there  is  no 
lawful  way  of  taking  Wiseli  from  them,  and  a  com- 
plaint of  that  character  would  only  lead  the  whole 
family  to  treat  her  more  unkindly  than  they  do  now. 


A  NEW  FEATURE  195 

So  long  as  the  uncle  means  well  by  her  there  is 
nothing  we  can  do.  I  realize  fully  what  a  hard  time 
Wiseli  is  having,  and  I  don't  want  you  to  think  that 
I  have  not  taken  the  matter  to  heart,  Otto.  I  am 
looking  earnestly  for  an  opening  to  do  something  for 
her,  and  I  hope  that  in  the  meantime  you  will  pro- 
tect her  as  much  as  possible,  without  being  rude  and 
rough  yourself." 

Otto  tried  to  help  his  mother  think  of  a  way  to 
free  Wiseli,  but  each  plan  proposed  proved  impracti- 
cable, if  not  impossible.  The  children  had  a  custom  of 
writing  their  Christmas  wishes  upon  a  slate,  and  Otto 
wrote,  "  I  wish  Santa  Claus  would  set  Wiseli  free." 

January  had  come  and  again  brought  to  the  chil- 
dren the  great  pleasure  of  the  year  by  providing  them 
with  snow  for  the  coasting.  One  beautiful  moon- 
light night  the  idea  came  to  Otto  that  it  would  be 
great  sport  to  coast  by  moonlight,  and  the  next  day 
he  accordingly  suggested  to  the  children  that  they 
assemble  at  seven  o'clock  for  a  moonlight  ride. 
The  suggestion  was  enthusiastically  received.  When 
they  broke  up  that  evening,  there  were  cries  of 
"  All  hands  back  at  seven  !  "  "  Hurrah  for  moon- 
light !  "  "  Good-by  till  seven  !  " 

The  Ritter  children  did  not  tell  their  mother  of 
this  plan  until  they  came  home  from  school  toward 
evening.  Much  to  their  surprise  she  was  not  at  all 


196  WISELI  FINDS  HER  PLACE 

enthusiastic  over  what  they  considered  such  a  capital 
idea.  She  spoke  of  the  intense  cold  of  the  evening, 
the  danger,  especially  to  Miezi,  in  the  uncertain  light, 
and  the  likelihood  of  the  younger  ones  being  fright- 
ened in  the  shadows.  In  spite  of  these  objections 
they  wished  to  carry  out  their  plan,  and  Otto  promised 
not  to  let  Miezi  out  of  his  sight  if  she  might  go 
with  him.  Their  request  was  finally  granted,  and 
they  started  off  as  happy  as  birds  on  the  wing. 

It  was  great  sport.  The  track  had  been  worn  as 
smooth  as  ice,  and  the  fear  of  the  timid  ones  in  the 
dark  places  gave  zest  to  the  undertaking.  Nearly  all 
the  children  from  the  neighborhood  were  there,  and 
the  best  of  humor  prevailed.  Otto  let  them  all  pre- 
cede him  with  their  sleds,  permitting  only  Miezi  to 
follow  him,  so  that  there  would  be  no  danger  of  any 
one's  running  into  her  from  behind,  and  he  looked 
back  every  moment  to  see  that  she  was  coming  safely. 

After  several  rides  in  this  fashion  some  one  pro- 
posed that  they  ride  "  tandem  fashion,"  that  is, 
with  all  the  sleds  tied  together.  The  idea  was  im- 
mediately accepted,  and  they  began  tying  their  sleds 
together  in  joyful  anticipation.  Otto,  however,  con- 
sidered the  sport  too  dangerous  for  Miezi,  as  the 
sleds  sometimes  became  tangled  and  the  whole 
company  was  piled  up  in  a  mass.  He  tied  his  sled 
last,  letting  his  sister  follow  with  hers  untied.  In  this 


A  NEW  FEATURE  197 

way  it  was  expected  that  they  would  go  as  usual, 
except  that  Otto  would  not  be  free  to  stop  in  case 
Miezi  did  not  keep  up  with  them.  Soon  the  children 
were  off  and  went  down  the  slippery  hill  with  the 
speed  of  the  wind. 

They  had  gone  but  halfway  down,  when  Otto  heard 
a  scream  behind  him  in  which  he  recognized  his 
sister's  voice,  but  he  was  powerless  to  stop,  and 
he  was  going  too  fast  to  dare  to  roll  himself  from 
his  sled  until  their  speed  diminished  near  the  foot 
of  the  hill.  He  found  Miezi  halfway  down  the  hill 
crying  with  all  her  might.  Almost  breathless,  Otto 
gathered  her  in  his  arms,  saying,  "  What  happened, 
Miezchen  ?  Tell  me,  what  is  the  matter  ?  " 

"He  wanted  to  —  he  wanted  to  —  he  was  going 
to —  "  sobbed  Miezi. 

"  What  did  he  want  to  do  ?  Who  ?  Where  ? "  asked 
Otto. 

"  The  big  man  over  there,  he  wanted  to  —  he  was 
going  to  kill  me  —  and  he  said  things." 

"  Never  mind,  Miezchen  ;  be  quiet  now  ;  he  did  n't 
kill  you.  Did  he  even  hit  you  ?  "  asked  Otto,  some- 
what puzzled  by  the  occurrence,  for  he  knew  Miezi 
to  be  a  rather  fearless  child. 

"  No,"  sobbed  Miezi,  "  but  he  had  a  big  stick  and  he 
raised  it  like  this  and  was  going  to  strike  and  he  said, 
'  You  look  out ! '  and  he  called  me  dreadful  names." 


198  WISELI  FINDS  HER  PLACE 

"  So  he  really  didn't  hurt  you  at  all,"  said  Otto, 
much  relieved  to  find  it  true,  although  Miezi  was  of 
a  different  opinion. 

"Yes,  he  did  —  he  was  going  to  —  and  you  were 
all  gone  ahead  and  I  was  all  alone,"  and  from  sheer 
self-pity  came  a  fresh  burst  of  tears. 

"  Hush  now,  Miezchen,"  coaxed  Otto.  "  I  shall 
never  leave  you  like  that  again,  so  the  man  shall  never 
get  you.  If  you  will  be  a  happy  little  girl  now,  just 
as  soon  as  we  get  home  I  will  give  you  the  red  candy 
rooster  I  had  on  the  Christmas  tree." 

This  promise  restored  Miezi  to  her  normal  self  in 
a  moment.  She  wiped  the  tears  away,  but  did  not 
let  go  of  Otto's  hand  for  the  rest  of  the  evening. 
The  other  children  had  joined  them  and  as  they 
climbed  the  hill  they  discussed  what  had  happened. 
Several  of  the  children  had  noticed  a  large  man  turn 
out  of  the  road  to  let  them  pass,  and  it  was  Otto's 
opinion  that  it  must  have  made  the  man  angry  to 
have  to  step  into  the  snow,  and  he  had  threatened 
Miezi  because  she  was  the  only  one  within  reach. 
This  seemed  a  likely  explanation  to  the  children, 
and  the  subject  was  dropped.  The  party  broke  up 
after  the  next  ride,  as  most  of  them  had  promised  to 
be  at  home  by  eight  o'clock. 

"  Now,  Miezchen,"  said  Otto  on  the  way  home, 
"  if  you  tell  mamma  about  your  being  so  frightened, 


A  NEW  FEATURE  199 

you  may  be  sure  that  she  will  never  let  you  go  with 
me  again.  No  harm  was  done,  and  I  think  we  had 
better  not  say  anything  about  it." 

Miezi  promised  to  say  nothing.  All  traces  of  tears 
had  been  removed  by  the  expectation  of  receiving 
the  candy  rooster,  which  Otto  did  not  fail  to  give  to 
her  as  soon  as  they  reached  home,  and  the  children 
went  happily  to  bed. 

They  had  been  in  bed  and  asleep  for  some  time 
when  a  loud  rapping  at  the  door  startled  the  parents, 
who  were  sitting  at  the  table  in  the  living  room,  talk- 
ing about  their  children.  Trina  had  gone  upstairs, 
but  she  leaned  out  of  her  window  and  called,  "  What 
is  it  you  want?  " 

"  Something  dreadful  has  happened,"  came  the 
answer  from  the  man  below.  "Joiner  Andreas  has 
been  killed,  and  we  want  the  colonel  to  come  over 
at  once." 

The  messenger  departed  without  waiting.  Through 
the  open  window  Colonel  and  Mrs.  Ritter  had  heard 
what  he  said.  The  colonel  threw  his  cloak  over  his 
shoulder  and  hurried  to  Andreas's  home.  A  num- 
ber of  people  had  assembled  there  when  he  arrived. 
The  police  and  the  pastor  had  been  summoned, 
and  others,  hearing  of  the  misfortune,  had  come  to 
see  what  could  be  done.  Colonel  Ritter  worked  his 
way  into  the  crowd  to  where  the  joiner  lay. 


200  WISELI   FINDS  HER  PLACE 

"  Where  is  the  doctor  ?  "  was  his  first  question. 

"  What  is  the  use  of  getting  a  doctor  when  the 
man  is  dead  ?  "  some  one  answered. 

"  He  may  not  be  dead,"  said  the  colonel,  impatiently. 
"  Some  one  must  go  for  a  doctor  immediately ;  tell 
him  I  said  that  he  must  hurry.  This  call  should  be 
answered  before  all  others." 

Some  one  reluctantly  started,  then,  with  the  help 
of  others,  the  colonel  lifted  the  apparently  lifeless 
body  and  carried  it  to  the  bed. 

The  miller's  son  explained  to  the  colonel  that  he 
had  passed  the  house  about  half  an  hour  earlier, 
that  he  had  noticed  a  light  and  the  open  door  and 
had  decided  to  stop  a  moment  to  see  the  joiner,  when, 
to  his  horror,  he  saw  that  he  was  dead  ;  that  Meadow 
Joggi  was  standing  in  the  room,  holding  a  gold  piece 
in  his  hand ;  and  that  Joggi  had  laughed  as  he 
looked  at  the  gold. 

Meadow  Joggi,  so  called  because  he  lived  in  the 
meadow,  was  a  man  who  had  lost  his  reason,  but 
whom  people  had  always  regarded  as  perfectly  harm- 
less. The  neighborhood  supported  him,  and  he  often 
helped  them  with  simple  work,  which  he  managed  to 
do  fairly  well.  The  miller's  son  had  told  him  to  stay 
where  he  was  until  some  one  came,  and  he  had  obeyed, 
still  clutching  his  gold  piece  and  smiling,  not  in  the 
least  concerned  about  himself. 


A  NEW  FEATURE  2OI 

The  physician  came  at  last  and  hastened  to  exam- 
ine the  body. 

"  He  was  struck  on  the  back  of  his  head ;  it  is  a 
bad  wound,"  said  the  doctor. 

"  Do  you  think  that  he  is  dead,  doctor  ?  "  asked 
Colonel  Ritter. 

"  No  ;  he  is  not  dead,  but  he  is  very  near  it.  Bring 
me  sponges,  bandages,  and  some  water."  The  men 
searched  the  house  in  vain  for  the  things  that  were 
needed. 

"  I  wish  there  were  a  woman  here  to  find  things  !  " 
exclaimed  the  exasperated  physician.  "  A  woman 
knows  intuitively  what  a  sick  person  needs  and  where 
to  find  it." 

"  Trina  can  come,"  said  the  colonel.  "  Will  some 
one  please  run  over  to  my  house  and  tell  Mrs.  Ritter 
to  send  her  at  once." 

"  I  am  afraid  your  wife  will  not  thank  you,  Colonel," 
said  the  doctor,  "  for  whoever  comes  must  stay  at 
least  three  days,  and  perhaps  longer." 

"You  need  not  worry  about  that,"  replied  the 
colonel.  "  Mrs.  Ritter  will  gladly  do  more  than  give 
Trina' s  time  if  it  will  save  the  joiner." 

Trina  appeared  sooner  than  they  had  thought  it 
possible  for  her  to  get  there,  and  she  brought  with 
her  a  basket  of  necessary  supplies  which  she  and 
Mrs.  Ritter  had  in  readiness  for  an  emergency. 


2O2  WISELI   FINDS  HER  PLACE 

The  doctor  was  much  pleased.  "  Now,  Colonel," 
he  said,  "  please  dismiss  every  one,  and  lock  up  the 
house  for  the  night." 

The  policemen  decided  to  put  Joggi  in  jail  until 
they  could  investigate  matters.  He  walked  along  with 
them  willingly,  opening  his  hand  occasionally  and 
laughing  at  his  gold  piece. 

Early  the  following  morning  Mrs.  Ritter  went  to 
the  home  of  the  joiner  to  inquire  after  him.  Trina 
met  her  at  the  door  and  said  that  toward  morning 
the  patient  had  recovered  partial  consciousness.  The 
doctor  had  just  left,  she  said,  and  had  expressed  his 
opinion  that  the  man  was  doing  better  than  he  had 
dared  to  hope.  "  I  have  had  to  promise  him,"  she 
added,  "  that  I  would  let  no  one  come  into  the  room, 
not  even  my  dear  mistress." 

"  I  am  sure  he  is  right  about  it,"  said  Mrs.  Ritter 
smiling.  "  I  am  glad  to  know  that  Andreas  is  in  safe 
hands,  and  I  will  hurry  home,  so  that  my  husband 
may  know  that  he  is  doing  well." 

So  eight  days  passed.  Mrs.  Ritter  never  failed  to 
come  every  morning  to  inquire.  She  supplied  Trina 
with  whatever  she  needed.  No  one  had  yet  been 
allowed  in  the  sick  room,  and  Trina  was  kept  at 
her  post. 

Several  days  later  the  doctor  gave  his  permission 
to  have  the  colonel  question  Andreas  in  regard  to  the 


A  NEW  FEATURE  203 

accident,  as  the  police  were  anxious  to  know  if  he 
could  give  them  any  information. 

The  joiner  received  the  colonel  warmly;  he  realized 
how  much  he  was  indebted  to  him.  The  sick  man 
could  tell  nothing  about  his  injury  except  that  some 
one  had  entered  his  room  as  he  sat  counting  his 
money.  "  I  was  evidently  struck  senseless  before  I 
had  time  to  look  around  to  see  who  it  was,"  he  added. 

This  proved  to  the  officers  that  Andreas  had  been 
injured  for  the  sake  of  his  gold.  They  wondered 
what  had  become  of  the  rest  of  the  money,  if  Joggi 
had  committed  the  deed.  This  was  the  first  that 
Andreas  had  heard  about  Joggi's  being  suspected. 

"  I  want  you  to  release  Joggi  immediately,"  he 
said.  "  I  am  positive  that  he  did  not  do  it.  Why, 
Joggi  wouldn't  kill  a  fly  if  he  could  help  it." 

"A  stranger  might  have  done  it,"  suggested  the 
doctor  ;  "  the  windows  are  low,  and  seeing  them  open 
and  the  pile  of  money  at  hand,  he  might  have  felt  a 
sudden  desire  to  possess  it." 

"  That  is  very  likely,"  replied  the  joiner.  "  I  have 
never  thought  about  being  careful,  and  my  house  has 
always  been  unlocked." 

"  Well,"  said  the  colonel,  "it  is  a  good  thing  that 
you  have  enough  saved  for  a  rainy  day,  so  you  will 
not  suffer  from  the  loss  of  the  money.  The  best  of 
it  all  is  that  you  yourself  were  saved." 


204  WISELI  FINDS  HER  PLACE 

"  Yes,  colonel,"  said  the  joiner,  as  he  gave  his  hand 
in  farewell,  "  I  have  enough  to  be  thankful  for.  I 
shall  never  use  all  I  have,  anyway." 

"  I  am  sure  you  are  more  at  peace  with  yourself 
than  the  man  that  robbed  you,"  remarked  the  doctor. 

A  sad  story  was  being  told  about  the  neighborhood 
concerning  Joggi.  He  had  been  so  reluctant  to  give  up 
his  gold  piece,  that  the  police  had  taken  it  from  him  by 
force  after  conducting  him  to  the  prison.  The  police- 
man's son  was  supposed  to  have  said  to  him:  "  You 
just  wait,  Joggi ;  you  will  get  your  pay  for  this  night's 
work.  You  '11  see  what  you  will  get  after  a  while." 

This  had  so  thoroughly  frightened  Joggi  that  he 
had  moaned  constantly  ever  since  ;  he  would  not  eat 
or  sleep,  but  sat  crouched  in  a  corner,  fearing  that 
they  would  come  to  kill  him. 

The  police  came  to  see  him  a  few  days  after  his 
imprisonment,  and  promised  him  their  protection  if 
he  would  confess  the  truth  to  them.  He  said  that  he 
had  looked  in  at  the  window  and  had  seen  the  joiner 
lying  on  the  floor.  He  went  in,  he  said,  and  touched 
him  with  his  foot  and  saw  that  he  was  dead.  Then 
he  saw  the  gold  piece  on  the  floor  and  picked  it  up 
a  moment  before  the  miller's  son  came  in  ;  other 
people  soon  came  after  that.  This  was  his  simple 
story,  and  every  one  was  inclined  to  believe  it,  but 
Joggi  did  not  get  over  his  fright. 


CHAPTER  VII 

BRIGHTER  DAYS  FOR  THE  PATIENT  AND    FOR 
SOME  ONE  ELSE 

Since  the  day  that  Colonel  Ritter  had  called  with 
the  physician  to  see  the  joiner  after  his  recovery, 
Mrs.  Ritter  had  daily  visited  the  patient,  and  she 
rejoiced  to  see  how  rapidly  he  was  gaining  strength. 
Otto  and  Miezi  had  been  over  twice  and  taken  their 
friend  everything  they  could  think  of  that  might  please 
him.  They  were  glad  to  have  the  joiner  tell  them 
that  a  king  could  not  have  had  better  care. 

One  day  the  doctor  was  just  leaving  his  patient, 
when  the  colonel  came.  "  The  joiner  is  doing  well," 
said  the  doctor.  "  Your  wife  has  spared  Trina  so  long 
that  she  ought  to  go  back  now,  but  the  poor  fellow 
needs  to  have  somebody  with  him  a  while  longer. 
What  a  pity  that  he  has  no  relatives !  I  have  been 
wondering  if  Mrs.  Ritter  might  not  know  of  some  one 
that  we  could  get  to  take  Trina's  place  for  a  couple 
of  weeks." 

"  I  will  ask  her  as  soon  as  I  go  back,  although  I 
am  sure  that  she  will  be  in  no  haste  about  taking 
Trina  away." 

205 


206  WISELI   FINDS  HER  PLACE 

The  next  morning,  as  Mrs.  Ritter  made  her  accus- 
tomed call,  she  said  to  her  friend,  "  Do  you  feel  like 
talking  over  a  little  business  matter  this  morning?  " 

"Certainly;  I  am  feeling  quite  like  myself,"  re- 
plied the  joiner,  as  he  propped  his  head  on  his  elbow. 

"  I  am  thinking  of  taking  Trina  away,  since  you 
are  doing  so  well,"  she  began. 

"  Believe  me,  Mrs.  Ritter,  for  several  days  I  have 
been  urging  her  to  go  ;  I  have  realized  what  it  meant 
to  you  to  do  without  her." 

"  I  should  n't  have  let  her  in  if  she  had  taken  your 
advice,  but  the  doctor  assures  us  now  that  it  will  be 
safe  for  her  to  leave  you,  in  case  some  one  can  be 
found  to  take  her  place.  It  need  not  be  any  one  so 
proficient  as  Trina,  because  we  could  send  you  your 
meals  from  our  house.  I  have  been  giving  the  mat- 
ter a  great  deal  of  thought,  Andreas,  and  I  think  that 
you  ought  to  have  Wiseli  come  over  to  stay  with  you." 

"  No,  no,  Mrs.  Ritter,  of  course  not !  "  exclaimed 
Andreas  in  astonishment.  "  Do  you  suppose  I  could 
expect  that  delicate  child  to  do  my  work  ?  Oh,  Mrs. 
Ritter,  do  you  imagine  I  have  forgotten  for  a  moment 
about  the  girl's  mother?  Please  say  nothing  more 
about  it,  for  I  would  rather  never  get  well." 

"  But,  Andreas,  you  do  not  understand  me,  and  I 
want  to  tell  you  something  more  about  it.  The  child 
is  given  very  hard  work  to  do  where  she  is,  and  the 


BRIGHTER  DAYS  2O/ 

worst  of  it  is  that  they  are  not  kind  to  her.  I  should 
feel  so  greatly  relieved  to  have  her  here,  because  she 
would  at  least  be  treated  kindly.  I  know  that  Wiseli's 
mother  would  want  you  to  take  her,  so  that  she  might 
have  a  real  home,  and  you  will  be  surprised  to  see 
how  gladly  she  will  come  to  you  and  do  the  little 
necessary  tasks." 

"  But  how  could  I  get  the  child  if  I  wanted  her  ?  " 

"  I  shall  be  more  than  glad  to  arrange  that  for  you 
if  you  will  trust  me  with  it,"  replied  Mrs.  Ritter. 

"  I  must  make  you  promise  that  she  shall  be  brought 
only  on  the  condition  that  she  wants  to  come,"  said 
the  joiner. 

"  Yes,"  said  Mrs.  Ritter  ;  "  Wiseli  shall  not  come 
unless  it  is  her  own  wish.  I  will  see  you  again  to- 
morrow. Good-by." 

Instead  of  going  home,  Mrs.  Ritter  went  to  find 
Wiseli,  for  she  was  eager  to  free  the  child  from  her 
present  surroundings.  When  she  arrived  at  Beech- 
green,  she  met  Mr.  Gotti,  who  was  himself  just  going 
into  the  house.  "  I  am  surprised  to  see  you  over 
here,  and  so  early  in  the  morning,  Mrs.  Ritter,"  he 
said,  as  he  cordially  shook  her  hand. 

"  Yes,  I  am  sure  you  are,  Mr.  Gotti,"  she  replied. 
"  I  have  come  to  see  if  you  could  possibly  spare 
Wiseli  for  about  two  weeks  to  care  for  Joiner  Andreas. 
The  doctor  thinks  that  he  doesn't  need  Trina  any 


208  WISELI   FINDS  HER  PLACE 

more,  but  that  he  must  have  some  one.  I  hope  that 
you  will  not  refuse,  and  that  the  cure  so  well  begun 
may  be  carried  to  a  successful  finish." 

Mrs.  Gotti  joined  them  just  then,  and  her  husband 
explained  the  matter  to  her  before  answering  Mrs. 
Ritter. 

"  Wiseli  couldn't  do  anything  if  she  went,"  said 
Mrs.  Gotti. 

"  The  child  knows  how  to  do  a  number  of  things," 
corrected  the  husband.  "She  is  bright  and  learns 
readily.  I  am  willing  to  let  her  go  for  two  weeks. 
The  spring  work  will  soon  begin,  and  we  must  have 
her  back  then.  The  joiner  will  no  doubt  be  well  by 
that  time,  so  this  arrangement  will  be  satisfactory  to 
everybody." 

"  It  is  very  well  for  you  to  talk,"  broke  in  Mrs. 
Gotti.  "  I  have  just  gone  through  all  the  trouble  of 
teaching  her  everything,  and  when  she  comes  back 
I  shall  have  it  to  do  over  again.  The  joiner  can 
afford  to  train  a  girl  for  himself  if  he  needs  one." 

"  But,  wife,  two  weeks  is  not  a  long  time.  Mrs. 
Ritter  has  spared  Trina  much  longer,  and  we  all 
have  to  ask  favors  sometimes." 

"  I  thank  you  for  the  kindness,"  said  Mrs.  Ritter, 
as  she  rose  to  take  her  leave.  "  I  am  sure,  too,  that 
the  joiner  will  fully  appreciate  your  sacrifice.  If  you 
will  allow  me,  I  will  take  the  child  now." 


BRIGHTER  DAYS  209 

The  aunt  objected  seriously,  but  the  husband  said 
firmly :  "  That  will  be  the  best  way.  The  sooner 
she  goes,  the  sooner  she  will  get  back,  and  I  want  it 
distinctly  understood  that  it  is  to  be  for  only  two 
weeks." 

Wiseli  was  called,  and  told  without  further  ex- 
planation to  tie  a  few  belongings  together ;  she 
silently  obeyed,  not  daring  to  ask  any  questions.  It 
was  just  a  year  since  she  had  come  to  the  house 
with  her  bundle.  She  had  been  given  nothing  new 
during  that  time  except  the  black  jacket  she  had  on  ; 
it  was  thinly  lined,  and  her  skirt  hung  limply  to  her 
knees.  It  was  only  a  moment  before  she  appeared 
with  her  bundle  under  her  arm.  She  looked  timidly 
from  her  dress  to  Mrs.  Ritter  as  she  entered. 

"  You  are  all  right,  Wiseli ;  we  are  not  going  far," 
said  Mrs.  Ritter.  Wiseli  followed  her  down  the  path, 
after  a  hasty  farewell  to  the  aunt  and  uncle,  and  she 
could  not  help  wondering  what  was  going  to  be  done 
with  her.  Mrs.  Ritter  cut  across  the  fields  to  make 
the  distance  shorter,  for  she  felt  as  if  she  could  not 
get  the  child  away  fast  enough. 

As  soon  as  they  were  out  of  sight  of  Beechgreen, 
Mrs.  Ritter  turned  to  Wiseli,  saying,  "  You  know 
who  Joiner  Andreas  is,  don't  you,  Wiseli  ?  " 

"  Oh,  yes,"  she  answered,  her  face  lighting  up  on 
hearing  the  name. 


210  WISELI   FINDS  HER  PLACE 

Mrs.  Ritter  was  pleasantly  surprised,  and  continued, 
"He  is  sick,  Wiseli ;  do  you  think  that  you  would 
like  to  stay  with  him  a  couple  of  weeks  and  wait  on 
him  so  that  he  will  get  well  again  ?  " 

"  Of  course,  Mrs.  Ritter,  I  shall  be  very  glad  to 
go,"  Wiseli  said,  and  Mrs.  Ritter  wished  that  Andreas 
could  have  seen  her  as  she  said  it. 

"  You  must  remember  to  tell  him  that  you  are 
glad  to  be  with  him,  if  you  are,"  said  Mrs.  Ritter; 
"  otherwise  he  might  think  we  made  you  come." 

"  I  shall  not  forget  to  tell  him,"  said  the  little  girl. 

When  they  reached  the  joiner's  gate,  Mrs.  Ritter 
bade  Wiseli  enter  without  her.  "  Since  I  know  that 
you  like  to  go  to  him,  I  shall  not  need  to  go  in,  but 
you  can  tell  the  joiner  that  I  will  be  over  in  the 
morning,  and  you  must  come  to  me  for  anything 
you  may  want  at  any  time.  Good-by." 

It  was  with  a  light  heart  that  Wiseli  ran  up  the 
path  to  the  house,  for  she  rejoiced  that  she  was  to 
see  the  man  who  had  been  so  kind  to  her,  and  that 
this  was  to  be  her  home  for  a  few  weeks.  She  under- 
stood what  was  expected  of  her,  and  she  knew  that 
the  joiner  was  in  bed,  with  no  one  else  in  the  house, 
so  she  entered  without  ringing.  How  homelike  every- 
thing seemed  as  she  looked  about !  At  the  farther 
end  of  the  room  she  noticed,  through  the  parted 
curtains,  a  large  bed  freshly  dressed  with  a  white 


212  WISELI  FINDS  HER  PLACE 

spread  and  pillows ;  she  wondered  who  slept  in  that 
room.  Then  she  tapped  lightly  on  the  joiner's  door, 
which  she  opened  as  soon  as  she  heard  a  response. 
The  joiner  raised  himself  on  his  elbow  to  see  who 
was  there. 

"  Wiseli !  "  he  exclaimed,  as  if  in  doubt  whether 
to  be  glad  or  sorry.  "  Come  over  here  and  give  me 
your  hand."  Wiseli  silently  did  as  she  was  told. 

"  I  am  sorry  that  you  had  to  come  to  me." 

"  Why  ? " 

"  I  only  mean  that  perhaps  you  would  a  little 
rather  not  have  come.  Mrs.  Ritter  is  always  so  kind 
that  you  did  it  to  please  her,  did  n't  you  ?  " 

"No,  not  at  all.  She  never  asked  me  to  do  it  for 
her.  She  wanted  to  know  if  I  cared  to  come,  and  I 
said,  '  Yes.'  There  is  no  place  in  the  whole  world 
where  I  should  have  been  so  glad  to  go  as  to  your 
house." 

This  must  have  satisfied  the  joiner,  for  his  head 
dropped  back  to  the  pillows,  and  he  tried  to  look  at 
Wiseli,  but  the  tears  persisted  in  filling  his  eyes. 

"  What  must  I  do  ?  "  asked  Wiseli,  when  he  said 
nothing  further. 

"  I  am  sure  I  don't  know,  Wiseli,"  said  the  joiner, 
gently.  "  I  shall  be  glad  to  have  you  do  exactly  as 
you  please,  if  you  will  stay  with  me  a  while  first  and 
keep  me  company." 


BRIGHTER  DAYS 


Wiseli  could  scarcely  believe  she  had  heard  aright. 
Nobody  but  her  mother  had  ever  spoken  to  her  like 
that.  Her  first  thought  was  that  her  mother  would 
be  glad  if  she  knew  how  kind  he  was.  There  was 
the  same  tenderness  in  his  tones  that  she  used  to 
feel  in  the  mother's,  and  she  unconsciously  loved 
him  in  the  same  way.  She  took  his  hand  in  both  of 
hers  and  chatted  with  him  as  freely  as  if  she  had 
always  known  him. 

"  I  am  afraid  I  ought  to  be  getting  dinner,"  she 
said  at  length;  "what  should  you  like  to  have  me 
cook  for  you  ?  " 

"  I  want  you  to  have  just  what  you  like,"  replied 
the  joiner. 

This,  however,  did  not  satisfy  Wiseli,  for  she 
desired  above  all  else  to  please  him,  so  she  asked 
question  after  question  until  she  found  out  what  she 
wanted  to  know.  She  knew  how  to  make  the  soup 
he  said  he  liked,  and  she  realized  now  that  she  had 
learned  many  useful  things  from  her  aunt,  even  if  they 
had  been  taught  without  kindness.  Wiseli  prepared 
the  joiner's  dinner  on  a  tray  and  carried  it  to  him. 

"  I  wish  you  would  draw  the  little  table  over  here 
and  eat  your  dinner  with  me,"  said  the  joiner. 
"  Mine  will  taste  so  much  better  if  you  will." 

Wiseli  was  again  surprised,  but  she  said,  "  That 
is  just  what  mamma  would  have  said." 


214  WISELI  FINDS  HER  PLACE 

What  a  pleasant  dinner  that  was  !  The  joiner  was 
so  considerate  of  Wiseli's  comfort  that  it  made  the 
humblest  task  a  pleasure  to  her. 

"  Now  what  are  you  going  to  do  ?  "  he  asked,  when 
they  had  finished  dinner  and  Wiseli  rose  from  the 
table. 

"  I  am  going  to  wash  the  dishes,"  she  replied. 

"  I  suppose  such  things  have  to  be  done,"  said 
the  joiner,  "  but  I  think,  since  this  is  your  first  day 
with  me,  that  you  might  stack  them  up  and  do  them 
to-morrow ;  you  know  there  are  only  a  few." 

"  Why,  I  should  be  so  ashamed  if  Mrs.  Ritter 
should  happen  to  come  in  that  I  shouldn't  know 
what  to  do,"  said  Wiseli,  and  she  turned  such  a 
serious  face  to  him  that  he  laughed. 

"All  right,"  he  said;  "only  remember  that  you 
are  to  do  just  as  you  like  while  you  are  with  me." 

Wiseli  had  not  thought  that  it  could  be  so  much 
fun  to  do  up  the  dinner  work.  When  it  was  finished, 
she  said  to  herself,  "  Now  this  kitchen  is  nice  enough 
for  any  one  to  inspect." 

She  had  been  told  that  the  alcove  opening  off 
from  the  living  room  was  to  be  hers,  so  she  hung 
her  few  garments  in  the  closet  opening  from  one 
corner  of  the  room.  When  she  returned  to  the 
joiner's  room  he  said,  "  Good,  I  have  been  waiting 
for  you  a  long  time." 


BRIGHTER  DAYS  215 

"Have  n't  you  a  stocking  that  I  could  knit  while  I  sit 
here  ? "  she  asked,  as  she  took  the  chair  beside  the  bed. 

"Of  course  not,"  answered  the  sick  man ;  "you  have 
already  done  too  much,  and  I  want  you  to  rest  now." 

"  But  I  am  not  allowed  to  sit  idle  except  on  Sun- 
day. Besides,  I  can  knit  and  talk  at  the  same  time." 

"If  you  will  be  any  more  contented  with  a  stock- 
ing, get  one,  by  all  means,  but  please  remember  that 
I  don't  want  you  to  work  unless  you  prefer  to  do  so," 
said  the  joiner. 

In  this  quiet  way  they  passed  one  day  after 
another.  Everything  Wiseli  did  pleased  the  joiner, 
and  she  was  thanked  for  every  little  service  as  if  it 
were  of  the  utmost  importance.  The  patient  gained 
so  much  in  strength  that  he  was  soon  clamoring  for 
permission  to  get  up.  The  doctor  told  him  that  he 
might  sit  up  whenever  he  wished,  and  much  of  his 
time  was  now  spent  sitting  in  the  bay  window  in  the 
living  room,  where  the  warm  sunshine  helped  to 
make  the  days  cheerful.  He  liked  to  watch  his  little 
housekeeper  moving  about  at  her  household  duties, 
and  she  succeeded  in  making  his  house  more 
attractive  than  he  had  ever  hoped  to  see  it. 

Wiseli  so  enjoyed  herself  in  this  comfortable  home, 
where  she  had  the  assurance  of  being  cared  for  and 
protected,  that  she  sometimes  forgot  she  must  soon 
give  it  up  and  return  to  her  uncle  at  Beechgreen. 


CHAPTER  VIII 

THE  UNEXPECTED  HAPPENS 

In  the  home  on  the  hill  they  talked  often  of  the 
good  joiner  and  Wiseli.  Mrs.  Ritter  went  to  see 
them  every  morning,  and  she  always  brought  en- 
couraging news  home  with  her.  Otto  and  Miezi 
were  planning  a  surprise  for  Andreas  and  Wiseli 
in  which  they  meant  to  celebrate  their  friend's  re- 
covery. To-day,  however,  they  had  a  celebration  in 
their  own  home,  for  it  was  their  father's  birthday. 
It  had  seemed  like  a  real  holiday  to  the  children 
ever  since  they  got  up  in  the  morning,  and  now 
they  were  about  to  enjoy  the  birthday  feast.  They 
were  all  in  the  best  of  humor.  After  the  first  course 
had  been  served,  there  was  placed  before  Mrs.  Ritter 
a  covered  dish  which,  when  the  cover  had  been  re- 
moved, displayed  a  cabbage  head  looking  as  fresh 
and  natural  as  if  it  had  just  come  from  the  garden. 

"  That  dish  is  certainly  pretty  enough  to  be  praised," 
said  the  father;  "but  really  I  was  expecting  to  see 
something  else,  Marie.  You  know  at  every  feast  I  am 
on  the  lookout  for  my  favorite  vegetable,  the  artichoke. 
Is  n't  it  on  the  menu  to-day  ?  " 
216 


THE  UNEXPECTED  HAPPENS  217 

"There,"  broke  in  Miezi,  "that  is  just  what  he 
called  me !  Twice  he  called  me  that,  and  he  had  his 
big  stick  raised  like  this,  and  he  was  going  — 

Miezi  had  her  arm  raised  to  illustrate  the  man's 
attempt  to  strike  her,  when  she  suddenly  caught 
the  warning  look  from  her  brother  across  the  table, 
and  remembered  her  promise  not  to  tell  her  parents 
about  what  had  happened  that  night.  In  her  great 
confusion  her  face  grew  scarlet,  and  she  pushed  her 
arms  as  far  as  possible  under  the  table. 

"  I  am  surprised  to  have  my  birthday  celebration 
take  this  turn,"  said  the  father.  "On  one  side  of  the 
table  my  daughter  speaks  of  something  about  which 
we  have  heard  nothing,  while,  on  the  opposite  side, 
my  son  kicks  my  leg  until  it  feels  as  if  it  might  be 
black  and  blue.  I  should  like  to  know,  Otto,  where 
•you  learned  such  gymnastics." 

It  was  now  Otto's  turn  to  blush,  which  he  did 
to  the  roots  of  his  hair.  He  had  intended  to  hush 
his  sister  with  the  kicks,  but  evidently  he  had  not 
struck  where  he  intended.  For  a  time  he  was  too 
embarrassed  to  look  his  father  in  the  face. 

"Well,  Miezchen,  what  was  the  rest  of  the  story 
which  Otto  did  not  allow  you  to  finish  ?  You  say  he 
called  you  a  dreadful  name,  raised  his  stick  at  you, 
and  —  ?" 

"Then,  then,"  began  Miezi,  —  she  realized,  now, 


218  WISELI  FINDS  HER  PLACE 

that  she  had  told,  and  must  sacrifice  the  candy  rooster 
in  consequence, —  "  then  he  did  n't  kill  me,  anyway." 

The  father  laughed  heartily.  "  It  was  good  of  him 
not  to  kill  my  little  girl,  but  what  then  ?  " 

"  That  was  all." 

"  The  story  has  a  happy  ending,"  said  the  father. 
"  The  stick  remains  poised  in  the  air  and  little  Miez- 
chen  comes  home  as  the  artichoke.  Now  let  us  for- 
get everything  except  that  this  is  my  birthday  and 
that  we  are  to  do  justice  to  the  feast  provided." 

Otto,  however,  still  felt  somewhat  disturbed,  and 
after  dinner  went  off  to  a  corner  by  himself.  He 
seemed  to  be  reading,  but  instead,  he  was  thinking 
about  what  had  happened,  for  he  was  very  sure  that 
his  mother  would  never  again  let  him  go  with  the 
others  to  coast  by  moonlight. 

Miezi  went  to  her  room  to  take  a  last  look  at  the 
candy  rooster  with  which  she  must  part,  now  that 
she  had  failed  to  keep  her  promise.  Mrs.  Ritter  was 
seated  at  the  window  trying  to  explain  to  herself  the 
strange  actions  of  her  children.  She  became  more 
and  more  restless  as  she  thought  about  it,  and  finally 
went  in  search  of  Miezi,  whom  she  found  at  the  foot 
of  the  bed  in  a  very  unhappy  state  of  mind. 

"  Miezchen,  mamma  has  come  to  have  a  talk  with 
you.  I  want  you  to  tell  me  when  it  was  that  you  were 
frightened  by  that  man." 


THE  UNEXPECTED  HAPPENS  219 

"  The  night  that  we  went  coasting  by  moonlight. 
I  know  he  called  me  that  word  papa  used  at  the 
table  to-night." 

Mrs.  Ritter  now  went  to  find  her  husband.  "  I 
should  like  to  tell  you  something,  Otto,"  she  said. 

The  colonel  laid  his  newspaper  aside  and  looked 
inquiringly  at  his  wife. 

"  I  have  been  thinking  about  the  scene  at  the 
table  to-night,  and  I  have  come  to  the  conclusion  that 
the  children  were  frightened  by  the  same  man  that 
tried  to  kill  the  joiner.  I  have  just  found  out  from 
Miezi  that  it  happened  the  evening  I  gave  the  chil- 
dren permission  to  coast  by  moonlight,  and  that 
was  the  very  night  the  joiner  was  hurt.  It  is  much 
more  likely  that  the  man  called  her  '  aristocrat '  than 
'artichoke.'  If  so,  I  should  say  that  the  man  was 
Andreas's  brother.  He  is  the  only  one  in  the  world 
who  would  think  of  using  that  word,  and  I  am  sure 
the  only  one  who  would  hurt  Andreas.  Don't  you 
think  it  likely  that  it  was  Andreas's  brother  George? " 

"  It  does  seem  probable,"  answered  the  colonel, 
thoughtfully ;  "  I  will  see  what  can  be  done  about  it." 
He  rang  for  the  coachman  to  bring  the  carriage,  and 
a  few  moments  later  he  was  on  his  way  to  the  city. 

For  several  days  Colonel  Ritter  went  frequently  to 
confer  with  the  police,  but  it  was  not  until  two  weeks 
later  that  they  succeeded  in  getting  results.  One 


WISELI   FINDS  HER  PLACE 


evening,  when  the  Colonel  returned  to  his  home, 
he  told  the  members  of  his  family  that  the  thief 
had  been  captured,  and  that  it  was,  as  Mrs.  Ritter  had 
surmised,  the  joiner's  own  brother  George.  He  had 
been  living  in  the  near-by  hotels,  confident  that  no 
one  had  seen  him  in  his  home  town,  because  he  had 
passed  through  in  the  night. 

He  denied  knowing  anything  about  the  affair  when 
he  was  first  arrested,  but  when  told  that  Colonel 
Ritter  had  weighty  evidence  against  him,  he  inferred 
that  he  must  have  been  recognized  after  all.  He  lost 
his  temper,  and  said  that  of  course  those  "  aristocrats  " 
would  like  to  make  trouble  for  him.  In  answer  to 
questions  he  said  that  he  had  just  returned  from 
service  in  the  Neapolitan  War,  and  that  he  had  in- 
tended to  go  to  his  brother  to  borrow  some  money, 
but  finding  him  with  the  large  sum  before  him,  he 
saw  the  opportunity  to  get  it  all.  It  had  been  his  in- 
tention merely  to  knock  his  brother  senseless,  so  that 
he  could  make  his  escape,  and  he  protested  that  he 
had  never  wished  to  kill  him. 

Fortunately,  most  of  the  money  was  still  in  George's 
possession.  It  was  recovered,  and  he  was  put  in 
prison. 

This  story  caused  quite  a  commotion  in  the  little 
town,  especially  among  the  school  children. 

Several  nights  after  George  had  been  arrested,  Otto 


THE  UNEXPECTED  HAPPENS  221 

came  home  very  much  excited.  Although  Joggi  had 
been  set  free  as  soon  as  George  had  confessed,  he 
was  still  too  frightened  to  take  advantage  of  his 
liberty.  He  thought  that  he  should  be  killed  if  he 
went  out.  Finally  the  police  authorities  turned  him 
out  by  force,  but  he  ran  quickly  to  a  near-by  barn 
where  he  hid  himself  in  the  farthest  corner.  Here 
he  had  remained  for  three  days,  and  the  farmer  had 
threatened  to  take  the  pitchfork  to  him  if  he  did  not 
go  away  soon. 

"  That  is  very  sad  indeed,"  said  Mrs.  Ritter,  when 
Otto  had  finished  telling  her  about  it.  "The  poor 
fellow  suffers  because  his  mind  is  too  feeble  to  under- 
stand what  is  said  to  him.  It  is  hard  that  an  innocent 
man  should  be  made  so  miserable.  If  you  had  told 
me  that  night  about  what  had  happened  to  Miezi, 
we  should  not  have  caused  Joggi  so  much  suffering. 
You  had  better  try  to  do  something  for  him,  since 
you  might  have  spared  him  all  this." 

"  I  will  give  him  my  red  candy  rooster,"  said 
Miezi,  sympathetically. 

"  A  red  candy  rooster  to  a  grown-up  man  !  "  laughed 
Otto.  "  You  had  better  keep  it,  since  you  are  so  fond 
of  it." 

"  They  say  he  has  had  no  food,  mother,"  Otto  con- 
tinued. "  I  shall  be  glad  to  take  him  some  dinner." 

Mrs.   Ritter   gave  her  consent,   so  the  children 


222  WISELI  FINDS  HER  PLACE 

packed  a  basket  with  good  things  to  eat,  and  started 
for  the  barn  to  find  Joggi.  He  was  there,  crouched 
in  the  corner  as  they  had  supposed. 

Otto  opened  the  basket  for  him  to  see  and  said, 
"  Come  out  here,  Joggi,  and  you  shall  have  all  there 
is  in  this  basket." 

Joggi  did  not  move. 

"Come,  Joggi,"  continued  Otto,  "you  know  the 
farmer  may  take  the  pitchfork  to  you  if  you  stay  here." 

At  this  Joggi  screamed  and  tried  to  get  farther 
back  in  his  corner. 

Miezi  was  very  sorry  for  the  poor  man.  Going  up 
to  him,  she  whispered  in  his  ear  :  "  My  papa  will  not 
let  them  hurt  you,  so  you  had  better  come  along 
with  me.  I  brought  you  something  from  Santa  Claus. 
See !  "  She  held  out  the  candy  rooster  to  him  as  she 
spoke. 

These  whispered  words  restored  Joggi's  confidence. 
He  looked  fearlessly  about,  took  the  candy  rooster 
from  her  hand,  and  began  to  laugh  in  his  old  way. 
He  allowed  Miezi  to  lead  him  out,  but  he  would  not 
touch  the  basket,  so  they  let  him  follow  them  home. 

Mrs.  Ritter  was  relieved  to  see  Joggi  with  them. 
She  opened  the  door  for  them,  and  had  a  good 
supper  placed  before  the  hungry  man,  saying,  "  Eat 
all  you  want,  Joggi,  and  be  happy." 

Joggi  ate  heartily  and  seemed  as  pleased  as  a  child 


THE  UNEXPECTED  HAPPENS  223 

over  the  rooster,  which  he  held  constantly.  As  soon 
as  he  had  finished  eating,  he  rose  to  go  home,  and 
they  noticed  that  he  looked  at  the  rooster  and  laughed 
as  he  went,  his  great  fright  apparently  forgotten. 

For  several  days  Mrs.  Ritter  did  not  see  the  joiner. 
It  seemed  a  longer  time  to  her,  for  so  much  had 
happened  in  the  meantime ;  she  had  not  worried 
about  him,  however,  because  she  knew  that  he  was 
well  cared  for. 

The  colonel  had  told  Andreas  about  his  brother's 
confession.  "It  is  like  him  to  do  things  in  that 
fashion,"  said  the  joiner.  "  I  would  gladly  have  given 
it  all  to  him,  but  he  always  takes  the  wrong  way  to 
get  what  he  wants." 

One  bright  sunny  morning  Mrs.  Ritter  went  trip- 
ping down  the  hill  like  a  schoolgirl.  She  was  going 
to  see  Andreas,  and  she  had  some  plans  in  mind, 
the  carrying  out  of  which  would  give  her  a  great 
deal  of  pleasure. 

When  she  reached  his  house  and  entered  as  usual, 
she  was  surprised  to  see  Wiseli  run  out  of  the  room 
in  tears,  and  the  joiner  sitting  in  the  deepest  gloom, 
as  if  a  great  sorrow  had  befallen  him. 

"What  has  happened?"  she  exclaimed,  as  she 
stood  still  in  astonishment. 

"  Mrs.  Ritter,"  he  faltered,  "  I  wish  that  the  child 
had  never  come  to  my  house." 


224  WISELI  FINDS  HER  PLACE 

"  What !  "  she  exclaimed,  more  amazed  than  ever. 
"  Wiseli  ?  What  can  she  have  done  ?  " 

"  Oh,  for  heaven's  sake,  don't  misunderstand  me, 
Mrs.  Ritter !  "  he  cried.  "  It  is  only  because  she  has 
been  here  and  has  made  a  little  paradise  out  of  my 
humble  home  that  I  am  so  unhappy.  They  have 
sent  for  her  the  second  time,  and  she  has  to  go  back 
to  Beechgreen.  I  shall  be  miserable  without  her. 
You  don't  know  how  hard  it  is  for  me  to  let  her  go. 
She  would  rather  stay  with  me,  too,  so  we  are  both 
unhappy  over  it.  I  would  give  the  uncle  all  I  have 
saved  in  the  last  thirty  years,  if  he  would  only  let 
me  keep  her." 

Mrs.  Ritter  sighed  in  relief  and  said,  "  I  should 
do  nothing  of  the  sort ;  I  know  of  a  much  better  way." 

He  looked  at  her  questioningly. 

"  I  should  adopt  Wiseli,  if  I  were  you  and  wanted 
her.  Then  you  will  be  her  father  and  she  will  be 
your  child  and  heir.  Would  n't  that  be  a  better  way, 
Andreas  ? " 

Andreas  grasped  Mrs.  Ritter's  hand  as  he  asked 
eagerly,  "  Is  such  a  thing  possible  ?  " 

"  Yes  "  ;  said  Mrs.  Ritter,  "  I  thought  that  you 
might  want  to  keep  her,  so  I  have  been  looking  the 
matter  up,  and  Mr.  Ritter  is  at  home  now,  so  that,  in 
case  you  want  to  settle  the  legal  part  of  it,  he  can 
take  you  to  the  city  immediately,  for  you  are  not  yet 


THE  UNEXPECTED  HAPPENS  225 

able  to  go  by  yourself.  Then  you  will  have  nothing 
to  worry  about,  and  you  can  tell  Wiseli  after  you 
come  back." 

It  was  the  first  time  that  she  had  ever  seen  the 
joiner  excited.  He  began  to  get  into  his  overcoat  as 
she  rose  to  go. 

"Are  you  sure,"  he  asked,  "that  we  can  get  the 
matter  settled  to-day  ?  " 

"Yes,  I  am  sure,"  she  replied,  "and  I  will  send 
the  carriage  over  at  once." 

A  few  moments  later  Wiseli  noticed  the  Ritter 
carriage  drive  up  to  the  gate  and  the  coachman  come 
to  assist  the  joiner  down  the  walk.  She  was  surprised 
to  see  him  get  into  the  carriage,  for  he  had  not  told 
her  that  he  was  going  for  a  drive.  "  Perhaps,"  she 
thought,  "  he  did  not  feel  like  telling  me,  because 
this  is  the  last  day  that  I  can  be  with  him." 

Wiseli  had  the  dinner  ready  at  the  usual  hour,  but 
the  joiner  was  not  there.  She  did  not  wish  to  eat 
without  him,  so  she  waited  and  waited,  but  still  he 
did  not  come.  Finally,  she  fell  asleep.  She  dreamed 
that  she  was  again  at  her  uncle's  home  and  that  she 
was  very  unhappy.  She  was  not  aware  of  the  beau- 
tiful evening  glow  in  the  sunset  which  promised  a 
pleasant  to-morrow. 

Wiseli  started  from  her  slumber  when  the  door 
opened.  It  was  the  joiner,  who  had  just  returned,  and 


226  WISELI   FINDS  HER  PLACE 

his  face  was  as  radiant  as  the  sunset.  He  had  been 
in  such  a  different  mood  in  the  morning  that  Wiseli 
stared  in  astonishment. 

"  I  have  good  news,  Wiseli,"  he  said,  as  he  hung 
up  his  hat  and  stepped  about  as  lightly  as  a  boy. 
"It  is  all  settled.  You  are  legally  my  child,  and  1 
am  your  father.  Call  me  father  this  very  minute, 
my  little  girl." 

All  the  color  had  left  Wiseli's  cheeks,  and  she 
stood  uncomprehending  and  speechless. 

"  Of  course  you  don't  know  what  I  am  talking 
about,"  he  said.  "  I  begin  at  the  wrong  end  because 
I  am  so  glad.  This  is  what  has  happened,  Wiseli : 
the  proper  authorities  have  to-day  given  me  the  legal 
right  to  take  care  of  you.  I  have  been  to  the  city  and 
the  matter  is  arranged,  so  that  we  really  belong  to 
each  other.  You  shall  never  go  back  to  your  uncle's 
again,  for  now  you  have  a  home  of  your  own." 

His  meaning  dawned  at  length  upon  Wiseli,  al- 
though it  seemed  too  good  to  be  true.  Impulsively 
she  sprang  into  his  arms.  "  Then  I  can  always  call 
you  father,"  she  said.  "  I  know  who  knew  that  this 
was  going  to  happen,"  she  added. 

"  Who  knew  it  would  happen,  Wiseli  ?  " 

"  My  mother  knew  it  would." 

"  Your  mother  !    How,  Wiseli  ?  " 

"  In  my  dream  I  saw  the  path  that  leads  to  your 


THE  UNEXPECTED  HAPPENS  227 

house,  and  she  was  pointing  to  it  and  saying,  '  See, 
Wiseli,  that  is  your  path.'  So  mother  must  have 
known  it,"  she  added.  "  Don't  you  think  that  she 
helped  to  bring  it  about,  father  ?  " 

The  good  man  could  not  answer,  for  his  heart  was 
full  and  his  eyes  were  dimmed  with  tears,  but  he 
looked  at  Wiseli  so  lovingly  that  she  understood. 

Suddenly  the  door  was  thrown  open,  and  Otto 
fairly  sprang  into  the  room.  He  threw  up  his  cap  and 
shouted,  "  Hurrah!  We  've  won,  and  Wiseli  is  free." 

Miezi  came  in  next,  almost  breathless,  and  as  she 
held  the  door  open  she  cried,  "  See  what  is  coming 
for  the  celebration  !  " 

There  was  the  baker's  boy  carrying  so  large  a 
board  on  his  head  that  he  stuck  fast  in  the  doorway, 
and  they  had  to  help  him  to  get  it  into  the  house. 

It  was  explained  that  Otto  and  Miezi,  having  per- 
mission to  order  as  large  a  cake  as  they  wished  for 
the  occasion,  had  told  the  baker  to  make  them  the 
largest  he  could,  so  he  had  baked  one  just  the  size 
of  his  oven. 

Trina  came  with  loaded  baskets  which  contained  a 
well-browned  roast  and  tempting  vegetables,  for  Mrs. 
Ritter  knew  that  the  joiner  had  not  been  able  to  eat 
his  dinner,  and  surmised  rightly  that  Wiseli  would 
not  have  eaten  much  by  herself.  Trina  prepared 
things  on  the  table  so  that  they  could  all  sit  down. 


228  WISELI  FINDS  HER  PLACE 

It  was  a  joyous  occasion  for  every  one  present.  The 
feast  was  followed  with  merriment  and  song  until  a 
late  hour. 

At  last  Trina  stood  ready  to  return,  and  the  guests 
rose  to  go. 

"  To-night  you  have  brought  the  feast  to  us,"  said 
the  joiner,  "  but  one  week  from  to-night  I  invite  you 
all  to  come  back  to  a  feast  that  I  wish  to  provide  in 
honor  of  my  little  daughter." 

Then  they  shook  hands  in  the  pleasant  anticipation 
of  coming  together  again  soon,  and  in  general  satis- 
faction that  their  little  friend  had  at  last  a  home  of 
her  own.  Wiseli  followed  Otto  to  the  door  and  said  : 
"  I  thank  you  a  thousand  times,  Otto,  for  all  that 
you  have  done  for  me.  Chappi  never  hurt  me  again 
after  you  choked  him,  because  he  was  afraid  that  I 
might  tell  you,  so  you  see  how  much  reason  I  have 
to  be  grateful." 

"  I  am  much  more  indebted  to  you,"  said  Otto. 
"  I  haven't  had  to  do  that  work  in  the  schoolroom 
again,  and  that  I  disliked  much  more  than  punishing 
Chappi,  so  we  shall  have  to  call  it  even." 

Miezi,  who  had  been  the  gayest  of  the  party  all 
the  evening,  waved  her  hand  in  answer  to  the  last 
farewell,  and  then  the  guests  were  lost  to  view. 
Joiner  Andreas  sat  down  by  the  window  in  his 
accustomed  place,  but  Wiseli  first  restored  order  to 


THE  UNEXPECTED  HAPPENS  229 

dishes  and  furniture.  When  she  had  finished  that 
task,  she  went  to  her  father  and  said  :  "  Shouldn't 
you  like  to  hear  the  verses  that  mother  taught  me  ? 
They  have  been  running  in  my  mind  all  the  evening, 
and  I  don't  intend  ever  to  forget  them." 

"  I  shall  be  very  glad  to  hear  them,"  said  the 
joiner,  as  he  took  her  on  his  knee.  Then  Wiseli, 
leaning  on  his  shoulder  and  looking  out  to  the  stars, 
repeated  with  joyful  heart : 

"  Commit  thou  all  thy  ways 

And  all  that  grieves  thy  heart 
To  Him  whose  endless  days 

Shall  grace  and  strength  impart. 

"He  gives  to  wind  and  wave 

The  power  to  be  still ; 
For  thee  He  '11  surely  save 
A  place  to  work  His  will." 

From  this  time  on  the  little  home  of  the  joiner, 
nestling  among  the  flowers,  remained  one  of  the 
happiest  in  the  world.  Wherever  Wiseli  went,  people 
were  so  polite  to  her  that  she  was  quite  astonished, 
for  they  had  scarcely  noticed  her  before.  Her  aunt 
and  uncle  Gotti  never  passed  the  house  without 
coming  in  to  see  her,  and  they  always  invited  her 
to  make  them  a  visit. 

Wiseli  was  very  much  relieved  to  see  their  friendly 
manner,  for  she  had  had  secret  fears  as  to  how  they 


230  WISELI  FINDS  HER  PLACE 

would  accept  the  situation.  She  was  glad  to  live  in 
peace  with  all  the  people  about  her,  but  she  said  to 
herself,  "  Otto  and  the  rest  of  the  Ritter  family  were 
kind  to  me  when  I  was  unhappy  and  poor,  but  the 
others  paid  no  attention  to  me  until  my  father  took 
me,  so  I  know  where  to  look  for  my  real  friends." 


PRONOUNCING   VOCABULARY    OF 
PROPER   NAMES 


The  vowels  are  marked  as  in  Webster's  dictionary. 

In  unaccented  syllables,  long  vowels  and  a  should  not  be  pronounced 
too  strongly ;  but  they  should  not  become  indistinct,  especially  in  the 
names  around  Lake  Garda  (both  persons  and  places).  In  unaccented 
syllables  the  vowel  e  should  be  very  light  and  rather  indistinct ;  a  very 
common  pronunciation,  though  not  the  most  exact,  is  to  sound  this  vowel 
in  German  names  like  the  a  in  so/a. 


Aar  (ar) 

Aloise  (a  lo  e'ze) 
Andreas  (an  dra'as) 
Bergamo  (beYga  mo) 
Bern  (bern) 
Chappi  (kap'pe) 
Como  (co'mo) 
Desenzano  (da  sen  dza'no) 
Engadine  (en  ga  den') 
Enrico  (en  re'co) 
Garda  (gar'da) 
Gotti  (got'te) 
Hans  (bans) 

Heimatlos  (hi'mat  los) :  home- 
less 

Joggi  (yog'ge) 
Kunzli  (kunts'le) 
Maloja  (ma  lo'ya) 
Maria  (ma  re'a) 
Marie  (ma  re') 
Menotti  (ma  not'te) 
Miez  (mets) 


Miezchen  (mets'chen) 

Miezi  (met'se) 

Peschiera  (pe  skya'ra) 

Rico  (re'co) 

Ritter  (rit'ter) 

Riva  (re'va) 

Rudi  (ru'de) 

St.  Gall  (saint  gal) 

St.  Moritz  (saint  mo'rits) 

Sils  (zils) 

Sils-Maria  (zils-ma  re'a) 

Silvio  (sel'vyo) 

Stineli  (ste'ne  le) 

Trevillo  (tra  vel'15) 

Trina  (tre'na) 

Trudt  (trut) 

Una  sera  (u'na  sa'ra) :  one 

evening 

Urschli  (ur'shle) 
Wiseli  (ve'ze  le) 
Wisi  (ve'ze) 


OF 

AT 
LOS  ANGELES 


UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA  AT  LOS  ANGELES 

THE  UNIVERSITY  LIBRARY 
This  book  is  DUE  on  the  last  date  stamped  below 


JUN  28  1960 


NUV  1     196& 


APR 


" 

•. 


PZ33 
S77hE 


*?*= *&t&wi 

heimatlos. 

.0  STOTH?r-V%- 

•V-,  »tsite<^»^. 


JUN  28  19! 

)0                   ?r 

NOV  7      t 

960                  5 

PZ33 
S77hE 


